Hakidonmuya Time of the Waiting Moon
by EagleFeathersInMyHair
Summary: Native American AU - Kagome is a maiden of the tribe. Her father has told her that she must marry a warrior of the People... but she's been having dreams of a man she has never met before. Kagome comes to realize she must follow her vision. *Sess/Kag*
1. Prologue

**Chapter 1 – Prologue**

**Yeah, I'm doing exactly what I didn't want to do: start another fanfic before even finishing "Falling Into Nothing." Weeeelllllll, whatever. These plunnies are gonna kill me if I don't get this started. This fic is going to be an AU Native American setting. It's going to be a mixture of all different tribes, but if you really need context, you can assume it's going to be very similar to Nimiipuu, or Nez Perce (at least in the setting/dwelling-type aspect).**

**I will be including myths, songs, and terms in pretty much every Native language I know, all jumbled together in one big Indian heap. I will include English translations at the end of each chapter. If I reference a legend without actually explaining the whole thing in the chapter, I will post a link or type it out myself if I'm not being really lazy. :D**

**The songs will all be modern day songs easily looked up on YouTube. I really suggest you do so, because they're just so pretty. :D I will write the names of the artists and songs for easy searchifying.**

**Well then…. Here we go!**

**DISCLAIMER: I still do not own Inuyasha & friends... or Sesshoumaru. I have begged and begged for him, and even managed to lose my dignity in the process.**

"The world began in darkness. There was no earth, sky, sun, or moon.

"From the darkness, there suddenly came a great disk, one side of yellow and one of white. Upon this disk sat Ussen*, the One Who Lives Above. With both hands, he rubbed his face an eyes. It was as if he had just woken from a long sleep.

"Ussen opened his eyes, and peered into the tremendous darkness. As he did so, there appeared light from above. He moved his eyes downward, creating a sea of light. He turned his gaze to the East and created the streaks of dawn. Once more the creator shifted his eyes, making many tints of colors in the west, as can be seen at the time of the setting sun. There also appeared clouds of many colors.

"By now, Creator was tired. His face perspired with the work he had done. He wiped his sweat and rubbed his two hands together. He then thrust his hands downward, creating a beautiful shining cloud. Upon this cloud sat a little girl.

"'Tell me where you are going,' Ussen said to her. She gave no answer. Once again he rubbed his hands, offering the right one to Girl-Lacking-Parents.

"She grasped the Creator's large hand. 'Where did you come from?' she asked.

"' I am of the east, where the light resides,' was his answer. He stepped upon her cloud.

"'Where is the earth?' came the girl's next question.

"' Where is the sky?' he answered with a question. He began to sing. 'I am thinking, thinking, thinking just what I shall create next.' He repeated his song four times, for this number is lucky. Once again, Creator rubbed his face with his hands, and then rubbed them together. This time, he swung his arms wide. In this movement, Giver of All Life created Sun-God. Creator repeated this motion once again. From his large hands dropped Small-Boy.

"The four gods sat together upon the cloud of Girl-Lacking-Parents. They thought and thought.

"'What is good to make next?' Life Giver asked. We cannot dwell upon this small cloud.'

"He then created Big Dipper, Tarantula, Wind, and Lightning-Maker. Next came western clouds to house Lightning-Maker.

"Suddenly, Creator sang, 'Let us make earth. In my mind is earth, earth, earth. I am thinking of the earth, earth, earth.' He repeated his song four times.

"The four gods joined hands. Their sweat mingled and Creator rubbed his palms. From his hands fell a small brown ball. This ball was tiny, barely larger than a bean.

"The ball grew as Creator kicked it. Girl-Lacking-Parents kicked it also, and it grew more. Sun-God and Small-Boy kicked the ball as well, the ball growing more each time. Creator commanded Wind to enter the ball and make it even larger.

"Tarantula spun a black cord, a blue cord, a yellow cord, and a white cord. He attached one to the east, one to the south, one to the west, and one to the north. He went to each cord and pulled with all his strength in each direction. The ball stretched, growing very large. This ball became the earth. It had no mountains or hills, no lakes or rivers. It was completely smooth, covered only in brown, treeless plains.

"Creator then made Hummingbird, who reported that the earth was well. There was water to be found to the west. Creator then made posts to hold the earth in place, one in each of the four directions.

"Creator sang a song to create the sky, repeating it four times. Twenty-eight people appeared to help him build the sky.

"He then sent Lightning-Maker to circle the earth. He brought back two girls and a boy he had found in a tortoise shell. The three children were sent to a sweathouse, made by Fly. As the children exited the sweathouse, Creator gave them names.

"'You are Sky-Boy. You will be chief of the Sky-People.'

"'You are Earth-Daughter. You will care for the earth and plants.'

"'You are Pollen-Girl. You will maintain the health of the Earth-People.'

"Creator set about making animals, trees, and hills. He created rivers and lakes.

"One day, he called to Girl-Lacking-Parents. He told her to gather all of the People.

"Creator said to the People, 'Now I will leave you. Work together in harmony and create a perfect world. Lightning-Rumbler is in charge of the clouds and water. Sky-Boy will have charge of the Sky-People. Earth-Daughter shall care for the earth and crops. Pollen-Girl shall care for the health of the Earth-People, and guide them. Girl-Lacking-Parents will have charge over all things.'

"Together, Creator and Girl-Lacking-Parents rubbed their hands together and swept them down their legs. Upon the earth appeared a great pile of wood and it became fire.

"Creator and the gods departed, leaving the twenty-eight people to live their lives.

"Sun-God went east to live and travel with the Sun. Girl-Lacking- Parents departed westward to live on the far horizon. Small-Boy and Pollen-Girl made cloud homes in the south. Big Dipper can still be seen in the northern sky at night, a reliable guide to all."

The children, having heard this story many times before, knew that this was the end. Not wanting to leave the circle just yet, they tried to think of questions they had never asked before.

One young girl, black hair the color of Rainbow Crow's scorched wing*, piped up. Her doe-brown eyes sparkled with interest

"Hehewuti," she began timidly, "What happened to the twenty-eight people?"

The medicine woman sighed. This young girl would obviously grow up to be beautiful, but she was also very smart. Hehewuti knew that she would be an asset to the tribe.

"The twenty-eight became the tribes. Their children are our fathers, many generations back. Though they had troubles, Girl-Lacking-Parents and Pollen-Girl took good care of the People.

"When they moved on, Creator passed down their spirits. He had crafted them all, so why would he toss them aside? The spirits of the first People live on today. Ussen created more spirits, but the souls of the twenty-eight still live on in the people of the tribe. Thus, we have all lived before. Never think that your soul is new. Once the life has left your body and you move on to the Happy Place, another will inherit your soul. This is how our people live on. Where there is death for one, there is new life for another."

The creation story presented in this chapter is the story passed down among many Apache tribes. There are variations, but this is one of my personal favorites.

Ussen – chief deity of the Apache tribes

Sweathouse - Just what the name implies. Often used in rituals, the sweathouse or sweatlodge is thought to purify the body.

Rainbow Crow's scorched wing – Reference to a story about how light came to the people of the North. The story is about Rainbow Crow, who hears the cries of the People as they are left in the dark. He flies to the man that keeps the fiery light locked up for himself. He carries the light back to the People in his beak. In doing so, his feathers are scorched, as is his throat. Rainbow Crow loses his beautiful song and rainbow colored feathers. This is why he has a rasping cry and burnt black feathers to this day.

Hehewuti – Hopi name meaning "warrior mother spirit"

Please review! I'm going to have a lot of fun writing this story, I can tell. I hope you all like it. If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them. Also, if you have question you can leave them in a review or message me. I'll be sure to answer them to the best of my ability.

Love you all!

~Siki


	2. A Frightening Vision

WEEEEEEE! Chapter 2! I hope you all like this XD I'm really loving what I have planned for this story. Hopefully it won't be extremely long… but I don't know. I tend to make things MUCH more complicated than they have to be T.T

My goal is to update this story and F.I.N. about the same time... like within 48 hours of each other. It won't happen, but that's my goal.

I'm currently listening to "God Bless America" by Radmilla Cody. It's so amazing! It's in Navajo (Dine) and you should totally check it out. So pretty : )

I'm gonna hurry up and do this because it's currently *checks phone* 4:31 a.m…. So yeah. Dear sweet Lord, I need sleep. *zonk*

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Yeesh, at this point I'd even settle for Jaken. Who doesn't appear in this story by the way. So for all you Jaken lovers, (I'm going to pretend those exist) I am very sorry.

…...

It was finally summer. The longhouses had been taken down and replaced with teepees ,and their heavy fur clothing had been put away in favor of fewer layers of buckskin.

The tribe had chosen a camp near the field where they would dig for camas bulbs, the root plant they would store for food. When the camas bulbs had been fully harvested, they would have a great feast to celebrate. There would be camas cakes, fruit, nuts, salmon from the nearby falls, and game if the hunters were blessed with speed and accuracy.

The young woman walked the rows of teepees, her deep black hair sparkling in Tsohanoai's bright rays.* She wore the simple clothing of all the other women: a long deerskin dress, decorated with fringe and modestly adorned with porcupine quills, and a pair of soft, tanned-leather moccasins.

She walked as though she had a purpose, but any who looked could see that she was distracted. Her brow was furrowed with the depth of her thought. She was only brought back to the earth when she nearly walked right into Ehawee* as she passed her teepee.

"Kagome! Walela*, you really must watch where you are going!" She chuckled lightly. "No harm done though. Oh, dear, what has you so troubled this morning?"

"My apologies, Ehawee. I didn't mean to walk into you like that. I'm on my way to see Nadie.* Is she still at her teepee?"

The small woman looked at Kagome fondly. She laughed and said, "Of course! You know she doesn't go much of anywhere these days."

"Thank you, Ehawee."

Kagome began to walk faster, the earth crunching beneath her moccasins as she made her way to the old woman's tent. She hoped that the woman would be available while Kagome still had her purpose fresh in her mind.

She reached the teepee to see Nadie sitting outside, enjoying the bright sunlight. She approached the old one respectfully, slowing her pace to a walk.

"Nadie? May I speak with you?"

Nadie looked at the young woman that had approached her for a long moment. Kagome stared back, nervous for some reason that this kind woman would refuse her request.

The old wùuti * had skin dark and brown, like the tanned leather of her boots. A film had formed over her radiant brown eyes as she grew older. The wrinkles on her face showed her age, having collected the joys and sorrows of her life in their folds. As a testament to her kind, gentle spirit, the laughter wrinkles around her eyes greatly outnumbered the frown lines of sadness.

She exuded an air of old wisdom and strength, and it seemed as though she had seen the dawn of time and the creation of the People. Her spirit held no corruption and was not tainted in the least by hate or envy.

"Of course, child. It is good to hear your voice on such a day as this. Though I do not like what it says. What troubles you?"

"Oh, Nadie! I am plagued by dreams… I- I have no idea what to do! They are so strange and they confuse me overmuch."

The old woman nodded. Kagome had a feeling that she was expecting this, but she knew that wasn't possible.

"Tell me of your dreams, child, and we shall study them together, yes? If the two of us put our minds together, I am sure we can discover their meaning and dispel your fears."

The younger of the two women sighed, stressed just at the thought of her dreams.

"It begins in a beautiful valley. There are many white shapes around my feet, and I feel that they are flowers. I do not know, because at this time my vision is clouded. A heavy scent fills the air, such as that of a great storm. There is little wind; the air is still, and all is quiet. There is no sound at all and I become frightened.

"Suddenly, there is a bright light. It is then that I see him. He approaches me and I am confused. I know I should be scared, but I am not. He walks toward me until he is close enough that I can see him clearly, even with my clouded eyes. I must bend my neck back to see, for he is very tall. The man carries the mark of the hashi' upon his brow, and stripes upon his cheeks. His skin is very pale, as is his hair. It looks silver, but I think this must be because of the bright moon that shines over his shoulder. And his eyes… his eyes are like pools of honey. I feel no fear until I look down to his hands – I see that he has claws!

"I become afraid and turn to run, but I find that I am too blind to make my way. I turn back again, and his face is still clear though I am much farther away. I can see nothing but his face. He raises one eyebrow and smirks. Then everything fades and I wake, sweating the cold sweat of fear."

Nadie listened to Kagome's description of her dream with patience. The young woman finished, and still the old one did not move. Kagome kept silent, sure that Nadie was deep in thought.

The old wùuti considered very carefully what to tell the girl. She knew that this dream was Kagome's, and therefore its meaning was only for her. Still, Nadie wished to help her understand the significance of the symbols she saw.

"You spoke of a storm?"

Surprised at the sudden question and confused at the mention of the minor detail, Kagome stammered, "Oh, um, yes. Well, it was more of a smell, as if there was a great storm approaching. And there is the tension in the air that often comes before thunder."

The old one considered this.

"This dream is for you to decipher, young one. However, I will tell you that our dreams are not to be ignored. Creator often sends vision dreams to those with Power. Perhaps the storm in your dream is coming. I cannot tell if this will be in a literal sense, or even a spiritual one.

"The identity of this man is not known to me. He does not take the form of any god I know of. If you truly sense danger from him, then I caution you: be wary, child. A corrupt spirit visiting you in your dreams bodes of evil things to come.

"Go now, Kagome. I urge you, give your mind some peace. Think no more of this vision. All things will be revealed in time."

Thanking Nadie for her time and helpful words, Kagome rose and left even more confused than before.

….

WHEW! Here's the glossary for this chapter:

Tsohanoai – Dine sun god

Ehawee – Sioux name meaning "laughing maiden"

Walela – Cherokee for "hummingbird." My grandmother used to call me this all the time when I was buzzing around, as little children often do. It's such a cute nickname, I had to include it!

Nadie – Algonquian name meaning "wise."

Wùuti – Hopi word meaning "woman"

Hashi' – Chickasaw word for moon. I'm pretty sure this is also the word for sun.

Thanks for reading! Please review?


	3. Father's Decision

**In Which the Author Rambles:**

**Guess what! I'm still alive :D **

**I am surprised as well. I have not slept in 36 hours or so. Gahhhh! It's freaking 6 A.M. Fml.**

**But I am sure you do not wish to read of my personal woes. However, before beginning the chapter I must say some stuff that you're probably already planning to not read.**

**First of all, a HUGE thanks to Yoru-101 on Dokuga! She's been a big help with this chapter. My dearest was kind enough to supply me with a lot of the information to be found in this chapter. I will explain in the A/N at the bottom so as not to give anything away just yet. All you have to know is that Yoru-101 is a *insert flamboyant jazz hands here* SupahStahh!**

**Second of all, you must forgive me for the use of "SupahStahh!" I am from Massachusetts. Someone really needs to explain to me what that letter 'r' is again.**

**My penultimate point is going to be an apology… I am a horrible person. I am changing things around on you. If you have only read the last chapter in the past, say, 2 days, ignore this. But if you read it when I first posted it, I have changed a name… sorry! I know this is kind of a Thing Not Done, but I have my reasons. I was unhappy with the name I had used, seeing as I was trying to keep this story in the pre-European interaction period. Having used the name 'Nadie'… iFailed. Said name is a bastardization of the French 'Nadine' by the natives and has not been used until recently. The character shall henceforth be known as Nahmana. It is the Dakota Sioux name meaning 'secret.' If you don't like this then feel free to read it as the old name in your head… :)**

**And finally, the end to my ramblings. Just a quick thank you to all of my reviewers, especially my repeat reviewers XD You kinda sorta really make my life!**

**DISCLAIMER: Yeah. We get it by now. I don't own Inuyasha, yadayadayada, so on and so forth. Now stop rubbing it in.**

**Oh, and I also don't own the song. Info in the end note.**

**Pretty much all of today's words will be Ojibwe… it was a request :)**

…...

Kagome continued walking through the village, lost in her thoughts. Her dream was all she could think about.

_Why do I see such things? I do not have Power. I am no medicine woman._

The young woman pushed her thoughts away for the moment, hearing one of the songs of her people. She stood there for a moment, lost in the heartbeat of the drum.

"Kayna punchau turonero

Sapallaypi waqaskani

Mana pipas q'awarillaskan

Waqallarkani sapay

Llakillarkani sapay

Q'uyay mamayta

Yuyarillaspa

Maypillaraq sunquchallay

Maypiñaraq ñawiruruy

Maytaq cuna

Waqaysiwanchu

Waqaysiwanchu ñawiy

Llakisiwanchu sunquy

Tayta mamayta

Yuyarillaqtiy."

Kagome stopped and listened to the song as it floated across the valley. There were many women's voices to be heard in the group, so she assumed that it was sung by those women attending the drying racks along the edge of the village, with the elders too old to work accompanying them on the drums.

The sad words of the song served only to increase her melancholy mood.

Continuing back to her teepee, the young woman once again sought refuge in the realm of thought. The voices of the People became nothing but a background hum as she made her way between the rows of teepees. Nothing of the real world touched her until she heard someone calling to her.

"Kagome! Kagome! I must speak with you!"

Ah. Ata'halne* had decided once again that he had great need to talk to her. She stopped and turned toward the sound of his voice, hoping he would make it quick.

The young itaka*came running up to Kagome, his scalplock bouncing with his steps. He wore a simple buckskin breechcloth and leggings of the same material. Though he was young, he had well-defined muscles, much like the other males in the tribe going through training to become a warrior. He had high cheekbones, a well-proportioned mouth, and brown eyes that were usually full of fun and adventure.

Today, however, his eyes were serious.

"Boozhoo*, Kagome," he said formally.

"Aanii, Ata'halne. You needed to speak with me?"

He looked at the ground, his eyes showing his unhappiness.

"It is not so much _I_ that must speak with you… your father summons you. He has important things to tell you. He would like for you to meet him at Wabun Chiwajiw.*"

Kagome's interest was certainly piqued. With a nod and a quiet "Migwetch, baamaapii,"* she made for the hill Ata'halne had specified. Her father had taken her there a few times when she was a young girl. He would set up the target and it would be her job to hit the center with the bow he had made for her.

As she got closer to the large hill, she was able to make out the silhouette of her father, his black hair hanging loose about his shoulders. He was not happy, she could tell. His mouth was set firmly in a thin line as he watched her leisurely approach.

"Boozhoo, Shizhe'e. Aniish na?"*

"I am well, daughter. Come and sit so we may talk."

They sat next to each other and gazed out across the valley. The time of Neebing* had come and the whole valley was covered awash in various shades of green.

Kagome waited for her father to speak. It took him a while to find the right words, but when he did, his voice was strong and confident.

"I summoned you here to speak of a rather important thing. You have grown to be a beautiful young woman, and the time has now come for you to be married."

Kagome's eyes widened as she took in her father's words, though she made no verbal objection.

"Nokomis has met with the other chiahyaog.* The ikwaywug* have met and discussed proper matches at length. All warriors of the Odoidaymiwug* have been considered. The elders decided on one of the men.

Nokomis and the other women have gathered together and sat at the fire to consult their spirit guides. As the eldest women of their families, the spirit guides will visit only them. The fire went out this morning and they have finally come to a decision.

"You, Kagome of the A'no:wara* Clan, will be wed to Inuyasha of the Erharr* Clan."

….

Ata'halne – "He interrupts" (Navajo)

Itaka – Man (Hidatsa)

Boozhoo – Greetings (Ojibwe)

Aanii – Hello (Ojibwe)

Wabun Chiwajiw – East Hill (Ojibwe)

Migwetch – Thank you (Ojibwe)

Baamaapii – Until later (Ojibwe)

Shizhe'e – Father (Navajo)

Aniish na? – How are you? (Ojibwe)

Neebing – Summer (Ojibwe)

Nokomis – Grandmother (Ojibwe)

Chiahyaog – Elders (Ojibwe)

Ikwaywug – Women (Ojibwe)

Odoidaymiwug – Clans (Ojibwe)

A'no:wara – Turtle (Mohawk)

Erharr – Dog (Mohawk)

To be honest, I haven't studied the Mohawk language in just about forever, so please forgive me if I'm not completely right. I was informed by the lovely Yoru that "erharr" does in fact mean "dog," so I'm not worried about that. I'm also almost 100% certain that my word for turtle is correct as well. And in case you're wondering, putting a colon after a vowel just means that the vowel is held longer.

The credit for all the information about the Mohawk engagement tradition goes to Yoru-101, of course. She was kind enough to message me with this info so I could include it here. Many thanks to you!

The song is 'Heart Pound Chirapaq' from the Sacred Spirit album. It is in Quechua, or so I believe.

Check it out right heahh: http:/www (dot) youtube (dot) com/watch?v=X6Y4kpZ7xQk

Just take out the spaces and replace the periods!

Please leave a review, and thanks for reading :) be sure to let me know about any questions you may have and I'll do my best to answer them.

~Siki


	4. Daughter's Despair

YEEEAHH! Woot woot!

Updates make me giddy :)

I'm sitting in the hospital doing nothing, so why not go crazy with the updates? There's nothing better to do. gahhhhwtfstfulmfaobbq

Hope you enjoy and please review!

DISCLAIMER: Do… not… own… *tearcrysniff*

…

Kagome sat there, completely shocked by what she had just heard.

_Married? To Inuyasha?_

A picture formed in her mind of the brash young warrior. His strength and agility made him a skilled hunter and fighter, thus he could be considered a merit to the tribe. Other than that, though… he was obnoxious, rude, and generally unpleasant to be around. He had long chestnut brown hair, choosing to let it flow down his back rather than braiding it. The warrior's skin was tanned with long hours in the sun and his eyes were more of a hazel color, brown with yellow flecks. He was not particularly tall, but he could be quite intimidating despite the fact.

The thought of being married to Inuyasha was not a good one; she had to say _something_.

"Edoda! Please… there is no other? Surely there is someone else! I can't marry Inuyasha. He is just too… too…" Kagome trailed off, not sure how to say 'rude and irritable' without giving offense.

Tooantuh looked down at his protesting daughter.

"The ikwaywug have spoken. It is decided and we cannot change it. Be strong and hope for the best; though you may not have zahgidiwin, you can have trust and respect. You will come to love each other eventually."

Kagome wasn't done yet. She wouldn't settle for a rude, irritable, loud-mouth!

"But-"

"Enough!" Tooantuh didn't want to see his daughter married to someone she didn't like, but he had no choice. She had to get married eventually, and Inuyasha was the best candidate. Their marriage would help keep harmony and balance among the Odoidaymiwug. Her arguing wasn't going to help anything.

"You will keep your arguments to yourself. Not only am I your father, I am gahege. You will respect my wishes."

His suddenly hard eyes softened as he saw her internal struggle written all over her face.

"There is nothing that can be done. Try to make the best of this. He will provide much for you and your children."

Kagome knew there was nothing left to say. She had to do what the chiahyaog set out for her to do. Resigned to her fate, she stood, nodded to her father, and walked away.

He watched her retreating form diminish as she left him. Tooantuh sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. He wanted nothing more than to tell her she didn't have to do it.

But he couldn't.

Kagome lay in the teepee that night, huddled far from the fire. She kept to the shadows, not wanting anyone to see her inner anguish.

Hoping to find peace in the world of sleep, she closed her eyes and sang an old lullaby to herself.

"Cante' waste' hok'shila ake istimba,

Hanhepi kin waste' wea hea oh he yea…"

Looking around her, Kagome once again found herself in the field of what she thought were flowers. This time, though, her vision seemed clearer.

The air hummed with the tension of approaching animikee, the pressure growing by the minute. She could smell gimiwun in the air, barely concealed by the heady aroma of flowers. Droplets of moisture formed on her skin as she waited for what she knew was coming.

And there he was, in a great flash of white light. Kagome squinted her eyes to block some of the rays until the light died down and he began his approach.

She stood there with bated breath as she watched him come closer.

He walked at a leisurely pace, either unaware of or not concerned with her anxiousness. He gave her plenty of time to examine him as he approached.

She noted that he still carried the blue mark of the ohshkagoonjing geesis in the center of his forehead. The magenta stripes that graced his cheeks cut smoothly across his skin, giving him an even more feral appearance. His high cheekbones went well with his noble figure and strong nose.

Then there were his eyes… They held absolutely no emotion, but they were still beautiful. Those golden depths sparkled with a fierce light and Kagome thought for a moment that he could see into her very soul.

Strange pointed ears poked out of his long, shining hair. Once again, Kagome got the impression of silver, but she dismissed this as impossible.

The man stopped only about a foot from her and stared down into her eyes. Kagome met his gaze for only a moment before looking away. She shifted her eyes, trying not to look at him. Realizing that she could only see him clearly, her eyes met his chest and stayed there for a long moment.

Kagome impulsively felt the urge to reach out and stroke the sumptuous fur that marked the edges of his bleached white war shirt. Resisting the urge, she surveyed the beautiful quilled and beaded details of the hide garment. It had an animal motif along the edges, showing wolves, or possibly dogs, howling to the crescent moon. His matching trousers had the same plush white fur that made her want to stroke it.

Finally giving in to the strange pull of his golden eyes, she met his gaze. Brown clashed with gold as they stared at each other.

Knowing what would happen if she ran and not wanting to return to reality, Kagome finally spoke.

"Who… who are you? Aaniish eshnikaazyin?"

He raised one perfectly shaped brow and smirked. When he replied, his voice was deep and smooth.

"Who I am doesn't matter at this point in time. You will know soon enough."

Mystified by his unusual response, she asked, "What do you mean? I can't know if you don't tell me. Why do you visit me here in my dreams?"

Once again he smirked and said, "In time you will know."

She could see that this wasn't going anywhere. Trying one last time she said, "Then please, tell me. How can I see you here? I do not see visions."

His lifted his head and looked over her shoulder at something she couldn't see.

"You doubt that you have Power?"

She gasped at the question.

"I am no medicine woman. Ussen did not gift me with Power."

"What you are does not dictate what you have. You are not fated to be a medicine woman; that changes nothing."

Completely speechless, she just stared at him in awe.

Before she could completely recover, he spoke again.

"I must leave now. We will speak again."

With that, he turned and walked away, never looking back.

….

Blechh. I don't like this chapter. :/ Especially the first part. But it's not getting any better, so here it is!

Edoda – Father (Cherokee)

Tooantuh – Spring frog (Cherokee) {I didn't know what else to call him. I gave up and gave him a silly name :)}

Zahgidiwin – Love (Ojibwe)

Gahege – Chief (Omaha)

Animikee – Thunder (Ojibwe)

Gimiwun – Rain (Ojibwe)

Ohshkagoonjing Geesis – Crescent Moon (Ojibwe)

Aaniish Eshnikaazyin – What is your name? (Ojibwe)

Thank you for reading and please leave me a review! Let me know about any questions you have:)

OH! Almost forgot. The song is Lakota Lullaby by Robert Tree Cody and I don't own it. Look it up! The lyrics mean "Good-hearted boy, return to sleep, the night is good."

Thanks again! :D

~Siki


	5. Of Great Pain and Calm Waters

Hey! Sorry I haven't updated in a while :/ I was going to over the weekend, but then I was busy and blahhh excusesexcusesexcuses. So yeah. Then I was going to on Monday but my boyfriend had it off because he's a state employee and we wanted to spend the day together. 3

Okay, so I hope you enjoy this chappie! Please review and let me know what you think!

DISCLAIMER: I ownz teh nothingz

…

It had been three days since her father had told her of her future. Three days since she had argued. And three days since her heart had filled with dread, petrified at the thought, by the whole situation.

It had also been three days since a dream-stranger had told her more about her own self than she had ever known.

"_I am no medicine woman. Ussen did not gift me with Power."_

"_What you are does not dictate what you have..."_

Kagome was left wondering how an ordinary, albeit beautiful, man could see that she possessed Power when she didn't even know it herself. Was he a medicine man, decorated with holy paint? That could certainly explain his strange markings.

_What if I do possess nee__goniwabungigaywin? What is this bawazigaywin telling me?_

"Nimise!"

She turned to see her younger brother running up to greet her.

"Eya', Souta?"

"Aaniin ezhi-ayaayan?"

"Nimino-ayaa. And you, brother? What are you doing?"

He looked up at her, excitement written all over his little face. She loved her little brother and it was quite clear that he looked up to her. He was only a young boy and she was his hero.

She knew that she was not his only idol. He looked up to Inuyasha, hoping to be just like the brash warrior someday. The young boy had become quite excited when he heard about the impending marriage.

It took her a moment to realise that her brother was talking to her, telling her everything he had done and hoped to do the rest of the day.

He liked to talk. A lot.

"…. And then, I'm going to go swimming with Sik'is, then I'm going to-"

She laughed and interrupted her little brother. Didn't his jaw start to hurt after a while?

"Okay, okay! I see you're very busy. Perhaps Souta isn't the best name for you. I would have named you Teetonka!"

He laughed with her, seeing that she was only joking.

"Too late for that, Kagome!"

Hearing the shouts of his friends, he ran off to join them. He turned to and gestured his goodbye as he ran from her. She responded with a farewell of her own, continuing on her way and sinking back into her world of thought.

She reached her destination with little trouble. Kneeling at the edge of the river, she bent to drink.

Kagome's head snapped up as she heard a noise. Not seeing anyone and not sensing any threat from the forest around her, she looked back to the lake.

She did not like what she saw.

From the center of the zaaga'igan spread a great red cloud. It fogged the water and turned the entire lake completely red. The young woman couldn't help but think one thing.

_Blood._

Then she heard the sound again, louder this time. As the noise grew she was able to make out what it was: thunder. Thunder rumbled and lighting crashed across the water.

She couldn't look away when she saw the running figures stroming across the surface of the water. They threw spears and axes, causing other figures to fall, more red clouds spreading from the forms of the little fallen people.

She sat there for she didn't know how long. The massacre of the dark figures went on and on, capturing her with the image of horrific slaughter.

The massacre ended with another large clap of thunder and a flash of lightning. The light blinded her for a moment and, upon regaining her sight, she returned her gaze to the lake.

The water had cleared, leaving no sign of the disturbing performance that had just taken place on its calm surface.

Terribly shaken, Kagome stood, slowly turned… and sprinted back to camp.

…

She slept fitfully that night, uncomfortable with the knowledge that she had received a vision and chosen to ignore it. She felt that she had no choice but to keep it a secret. What if she told everyone and they didn't believe her? Or worse – if they believed her and, in the end, she was wrong.

Finally reaching the realm of sleep, she found herself once again in the field of flowers. This time, she knew they were flowers. Her sight was perfectly clear and her mind could supply only one explanation for this new development.

The storm was no longer growing.

It was here.

…

Silly Kagome! Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Anyway, here's your glossary:

Neegoniwabungigaywin – The ability to see the future (Ojibwe)

Bawazigaywin – Dream (Ojibwe)

Nimise – Older sister (Ojibwe)

Eya'- Yes (Ojibwe)

Aaniin ezhi-ayaayan? – How are you? (Ojibwe)

Nimino-ayaa - I am well. (I think you can guess)

Sik'is – Friend (Dine){I used it as a name, but it's pretty much just a word..}

Teetonka – Excessive talker (Sioux)


	6. Paint the Ground with Blood

Hello again!

It's nice to be updating this story again:) Feels like coming home.

I really like the response to this story so far. Honestly, I think people respond better to this than my Canon Universe fic. This amuses me.

Thanks to all who have reviewed! You guys make me so happy!

And let me apologize ahead of time for any typing errors. It's late and I dislocated my wrist again, so no use of the left hand :/ Gahhhh! I hate peck-typing. T.T

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha, just as I do not own an Easy Bake oven (who cooks with a light bulb these days?), a pickle factory, or a giraffe's tail.

….

"You should not be here."

She was surprised by the coldness in his voice. He was always distant in her dreams, but never quite so cold. She also thought that she could sense a hint of urgency in the strange man's smooth tones.

Gripped by fear, Kagome turned to see the same man that had often visited her in her dreams. This time though, she was surprised to see him wearing a headdress adorned with what appeared to be the tail feathers of an eagle.

Shaking her head to clear it of the distraction, she met his eyes.

"What do you mean? There is something wrong, I feel it. Please, tell me what is going on."

The girl was desperate and panic began overtake her body. Even in her dream, she began shaking and her breath came quicker.

"You will see. Now go. Naqalk!"

His voice rose with his sense of urgency. The man's pale face faded to black as Kagome returned to the land of the living.

She rose from her sleeping matt and rubbed the drowsiness from her doe-brown eyes. Kagome stopped cold as she heard the first bone-chilling scream.

And then she smelled the smoke.

She tensed and turned her gaze to the other side of the teepee. Her mother's back was ramrod straight and she was listening intently as well.

Jumping into action, Kagome's mother seemingly leapt over to Souta, shaking him awake. She pulled him to his feet before his eyes had a chance to completely open.

Tooantuh was already awake, having heard the disturbance himself. He straightened and rushed to the dwelling's entrance flap and peered out.

Kagome shot up and went to join him. He began yelling to Souta and his wife to run as he pulled his daughter out of their teepee. Their hands were somehow separated and Kagome could bring herself to do nothing but stare at the mayhem displayed before her.

The young woman felt dread begin to seep into her very soul at what she saw. The teepees at the opposite end of the village had been set aflame and their inhabitants trapped inside. Their screams rent the air and broke the calm stillness of the usually peaceful valley.

Those that managed to escape their burning homes were ruthlessly slaughtered by shadowy figures that seemed to dance in the glow of the flames.

Unable to move, Kagome stood there in shock as she watched the ones she loved cut down as they fled from the intruders. The scent of blood and smoke filled the dry air and screams echoed in her ears. The jagged flames seemed to lick the sky and devour the stars. She absently thought that perhaps they meant to wrap the moon in their searing embrace and melt it from the evening sky.

A single crash of thunder rumbled in the western sky.

It was just like her vision.

Kagome's stomach dropped when she realized that this was her fault. She was torn from her world of self-loathing only when one of her own people ran into her. Coming to her senses and remembering that she did not want to die, Kagome turned to follow her family into the shadows that signaled safety from the flames.

She was knocked down midstride by a heavily painted warrior. He raised his heavy war-club to deliver the finishing blow, thick muscles rippling with the effort. His eyes gleamed in anticipation of his kill and a freakish grin marred his pigment-adorned features.

Surprise was openly displayed on his face when Tooantuh dove into the path of his club. The weapon met her father's ribs with a deep _thud._

Kagome heard a strangled noise of pain gurgle in her father's throat before he rose and tackled the other man to the ground. Screaming for his daughter to escape, he continued his assault upon the enemy warrior. He pulled a small axe from his belt just as Kagome began to run once again.

She stopped dead in her tracks as a scream of her own rent the air when her eyes met the most horrific sight she could ever see.

There, upon the bloodstained ground, was the mangled body of her long-time friend Ehawee. A halo of red surrounded the fallen woman's head and the glow of the nearby flames skittered across her features and bathed her lifeless face in an eerie light.

Tears began to spill from her eyes and Kagome would have dropped to her knees if her mother had not grabbed her wrist and pulled her along. The young woman's eyes were held captive by the terrible image long after she had been forcibly pulled underneath the shelter of the trees.

….

Naqalk – Leave (Mi'kmaq)

Sorry, but I didn't put much in the way of terminology in this chapter. I was going more for a sense of the events. I didn't want to distract everybody by making you all scroll up and down for meanings. Sorry if you don't like it, but it'll probably be back to the same old next update. So no harm done, right? ;)

Thank you for reading and if you had any thoughts at all during this chapter then you HAVE to leave them in a review :D It's the law.

~Siki


	7. Wish the World Away

This one's kind of a doozey! Please review and tell me what you think.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing contained in this chapter but the sad, sad plot, typed away at 3 a.m.

….

Carried on her quick feet, Kagome ran ahead of the others, her feet lending even more speed to her stride. She soon distanced herself from the others and any possible pursuers.

She ran and ran until she felt like she would never stop. Kagome didn't allow herself to focus on anything but the sound of her breathing as she made her way through the moonlit forest.

Those other thoughts were too dangerous.

The girl maneuvered between the trees, ducking beneath low-hanging branches and jumping over fallen logs. She had stopped hearing the screams long ago. All had gone silent, and the effect was rather eerie. Though Kagome didn't sense anyone in pursuit, she continued running, trying to escape.

Trying to escape the smoke still caught in her nostrils. Trying to escape the image of her best friend, broken and lifeless, though it was seared into her mind. She was also trying to escape the heat of the flames and the terror that had run through her veins and chilled her to the very bone.

She was trying to escape the guilt.

Kagome knew, she just _knew_, that this had been all her fault. Ussen had given her a clear vision and she had done nothing. She ignored the will of the Creator and the whole tribe had been punished for her grievous transgression.

Kagome suddenly found herself flying through the air, her foot having slipped on the densely packed leaves. She hit the ground with a thud and a strangled cry, a sharp pain shooting through her shoulder at the sudden contact.

Sitting up and rubbing her aching left shoulder, Kagome tensed when she heard a low sound nearby. Not making any noise, even to though point of holding her breath, she sat as still as she possibly could and waited for signs of danger. The mystery sound became clearer as its source got closer.

"Kagome? Kagome! Please, Kagome… I need you! Ningotaaj…" The familiar voice trailed off with a heart-wrenching sob.

Kagome leapt to her feet, following the sound of her brother's voice.

"Nishiime! I am here, Souta."

She dropped to her knees once again as her weeping brother ran to meet her. His face was covered in small scratches, the branches of the trees having scraped him as he ran by in his fear.

Souta took shelter in his sister's arms and wept.

"Come now, Souta. It's all over." Even to her own ears, she didn't sound convincing. She knew that she had been heavily scarred this terrible night, and the effect on her mind would never go away.

He borrowed his head deeper into his sister's shoulder, as if having her close could wash away the memories.

"It's Mother, Kagome, she…" his voice broke with his sorrow and a sob lodged itself in his throat. The child began to shake uncontrollably against Kagome's strong frame.

Kagome, however, had no such comfort. Her world had just been shattered with that one incomplete statement.

Souta did not need to finish. She knew exactly what had happened, and she didn't want to hear any more.

"Nimaamaa…" she whispered to the wind. She spoke it as a farewell to the mother she would not see again in life.

The mother she had not said goodbye to.

_She pulled me away… she saved me and I did not thank her. Now she is gone._

Kagome was completely unaware of the silent tears that had begun to cut their path of sorrow down her cold cheek. She stared off into the night and pulled her brother even closer still, as if the small motion of comforting another could save her from her downward spiral. As if making Souta feel safe could bring their mother back.

The two sat in relative silence for a while, sharing nothing but the tears of their grief.

Both of their senses were put back into high alert when rough voices began to call through the forest. They came from the direction of the massacred village, and they were entirely unfamiliar.

Taking charge, Kagome wasted no time in grabbing her little brother and pulling him into the shadows. They crouched together in the darkness, huddled against one another in their fear. Finding a hollow in the tree she had decided to rest her back against, Kagome silently pulled Souta in next to her.

The area was cramped, but it felt safer to have something solid surrounding them.

The voices called back and forth through the trees and slowly faded into the empty night.

Souta let out a heavy breath that he didn't know he had been holding. Looking up to his sister's tired face, he said, "Sister, let's pretend. Let's pretend that nothing's happened and we're perfectly safe. Can we? Please?"

Kagome was surprised at her brother's words. She looked down at him and was suddenly very aware of just how young he was. She saw a child that wanted nothing more than a simple game of pretend to make the monsters go away.

She nodded. "Okay. How about a story?"

Souta didn't bother to say anything. He simply placed his head on her shoulder, his warm, even breathing marking a soothing rhythm against her neck.

Running through all the stories she had ever heard in her mind, Kagome settled on one that she knew very well. This was a story that she could tell without thinking, a story that just might be able to take her back to those many nights around the fire when the elders would tell the legends of the People that had been passed down from generation to generation, in a time where everyone was happy and nobody died.

Clearing her much-abused throat, Kagome began in a whisper.

"Do you hear those bats out there? No, you don't. They fly silently through the night, their wings beating at the air, taking them higher and higher into the sky. They fly gracefully, even without the sun to light their way.

"Bats did not always dance their silent dance in the night sky. The story of the bat is a strange one, and it begins with a long ago day much like any other.

"The sun began to rise one morning, bringing the light of dawn to the Earth. For some reason however, this time he got too close to the Earth and became tangled in the branches of a very large tree.

"The sun tried to escape, but his struggles grew weaker and he became even more entangled with every movement. And because the sun was stuck, the dawn could not come.

"The sky stayed dark. Many of the animals woke, thinking that the time had come to rise. They all went back to sleep when they say that the sun had not taken its place in the sky. Eventually, they all realized that something was wrong. It had been a long time and the sun had not appeared.

"The animals all gathered together in the dark to hold a council.

"The eagle said, 'Sun has become lost!' and the bear replied, 'Then we must look for him!'

"All of the animals of the land and birds of the sky left and began to search for Sun.

"They looked in every cave, on every mountain, by every swamp, and in every forest. The animals became sad, because not one of them could find him.

"Then one day, a little brown squirrel had a great idea. He thought, 'Maybe sun is stuck in a very tall tree!'

"Squirrel knew where the largest tree in his forest was. He went there to look for Sun. It was there that he found him.

"'Help me, little brother!' Sun cried.

"Squirrel saw that Sun had become weak. He knew he had to help. He scurried up the tree and started chewing at the branches Sun had been caught in. Squirrel came very close to Sun, and as he did so, it became hotter and hotter. The more branches he chewed away, the brighter and hotter Sun became.

"'I must stop now,' came Squirrel's voice. 'My fur is burning and turning black. Even my tail has begun to burn away.'

"'Please, little brother. Just a little more,' Sun begged. Squirrel once again started chewing, trying to free Sun.

"Once again, Squirrel stopped. 'I must not continue. I am growing blind because you are so bright.'

"'Please,' Sun said again. 'I am almost free. Just a little bit more.'

"Finally, Squirrel chewed through the last of the branches and Sun rose back into his place in the sky. The light of dawn covered the land and it became day. The birds and animals of the world became happy and embraced the warmth of Sun's light.

"Squirrel was the only one left unhappy. He was very blind. His tail had been burned away to nothing and his remaining bit of fur was completely black. He was no longer the little brown squirrel he had once been. He clung to the branches of the tree and did not move.

"Sun saw Squirrel's sadness and felt sorry for him. He had been saved by Squirrel and he would repay him.

"'Little brother, you have saved me,' said Sun. 'I will give you anything you wish as payment for your courage and selflessness. What would you ask of me?'

"Squirrel heard Sun's voice and thought. He replied 'I have always wanted to fly. But I am blind and I have no tail.'

"Sun smiled at the little squirrel. 'From this time on, you will be a great flyer, better than even the birds. You came very close to me and now, though I will always be too bright for your eyes, you will be able to see in the dark and hear everything in the forest. You will have wings and fly through the darkness of night. You will sleep while I am awake and guarding the sky, but when I leave the sky and the moon rises in my place, you will awake and fly on the wings I give you.'

"The little squirrel felt the brightness of the sun as joy in his heart. That night, after the sun went down, Squirrel dropped from his branch and flew through the darkness on leathery wings. He found that he did not miss his tail or brown fur anymore.

"And so, a long time ago, Sun showed his gratitude to little brown Squirrel, and Squirrel became the first of the Bats."

Finishing the story with the traditional summary, she looked down at her brother for the first time since she began speaking.

Souta was sleeping peacefully, wrapped in the warmth of his sister's arms, knowing he was protected from the cruelty of the world by his loving sibling.

….

Sorry I kill everyone.

Glossary:

Ningotaaj – I am afraid. (Ojibwe)

Nishiime – Brother, younger (Ojibwe)

Nimaamaa – Mother (Ojibwe)

The story is the Ojibwe story of how Squirrel became Bat.


	8. A Place for Tears

Another unhappy chapter. Not sure if I put this story under the angst category, but I might have to…. Why do I kill everybody?

But this is the chapter everyone's been bugging me for… now you get to find out whodunit! I'll have you know that I'm updating this instead of F.I.N. just because I've been receiving messages begging me to tell you. And I hate to hear you beg :)

There will also be a major character death in the end… not in this chapter, but at the end of the whole story. (Tragedy category?) I've extended my outline simply because people are really responding to this story. (Shout-out to the luffly Yoru-101… she's told me it has to be longer :D)

As it is, this would be half-ish done. I was originally planning maybe 15 chapters, but now I'm thinking probably about 25-ish. Maybe more, not sure.

If you're wondering why I haven't included all the other characters (Sango, Miroku, Shippou…) then you'll see why at the end. I'm just trying to keep it believable and, because of where this is going, to put all of them in here wouldn't be. They're there in spirit though! Ehawee had a hint of Sango in there, no? Too bad she's dead, but it's for the sake of the story, I swear! I hate it when people kill characters for no bloody reason, so I wouldn't do that.

So here it is, before y'all decide to kill me.

DISCLAIMER: I am not currently in possession of the rights to Inuyasha, just as Kinky-Ho is not in possession of a heart. :)

….

"Souta. Souta, wake up!"

"Mmmphmnmph…." He muttered, not wanting to wake up just yet.

Kagome continued to grip Souta's shoulder and shake him awake. The sun had risen about an hour before and it was time to go.

"Souta, really. We have to go!" Kagome was getting frustrated. They'd been through so much, but Souta still slept like a rock.

_You'd think he'd wake up ready to run by now._

She instantly regretted the thought. Who was she to wish her brother's innocence away? If he could still sleep soundly, dreaming of happy times and familiar faces in the midst of a crumbling world, shouldn't she be happy for him?

She pushed these thoughts away as Souta began to wake. He rubbed his eyes though they were still closed and Kagome caught the whisper of "Nahko'e…" pass his lips. He expected their mother to be there when he woke up, but he would only find her.

She felt extremely inadequate.

Souta's eyes finally opened and she could tell it hadn't all come back to him yet. He was still wrapped up in the safety of his childish dreams, nowhere near the reality of their situation. He didn't remember the wild flight from the village and the terror of the night spent all alone. He didn't remember the blood and the screams and the smoke and the heat and…

"Kagome? Are you okay?"

Her eyes snapped back to her brother's face. He remembered now, she could see it in the set of his shoulders and the look in his eyes. The security of his dream world was gone and in its place was a cold, cruel world and the harsh light of a bleak dawn.

His eyes were much too old and Kagome could only guess that her own eyes reflected that same premature aging.

Faintly, she remembered that he had said something. Oh. He wanted to know if she was okay. Good question.

_Am I?_

_No. I'm not._

"We have to go, Souta. It's morning and we have to go to the safe place."

He nodded, remembering the place that they had designated for emergencies. Whenever the tribe traveled to a new area, they set aside a place to gather if something ever happened. Everyone in the group had to know where the safe place was. It was really a good idea. If one happened to be injured or lost, they could at least try making it to the safe place. When those back at the village became aware of the individual's prolonged absence they would check the safe place first. Each safe place was also stocked with food and supplies in the event of prolonged habitation.

One after the other they vacated the hollow tree, Kagome going first and checking the area. She indicated for Souta to follow and they began on their way. Kagome vaguely remembered the location and set them off in the direction of the dawn.

As they walked, they were left with their individual thoughts. They were thinking the same thing and they both knew it. It wasn't that they didn't want to speak – it was more that, once spoken, the words could not be taken back. Saying things aloud would make it all the more real. And they weren't ready for it to be real.

Kagome couldn't help but feel that the sun was mocking her. The glare from the great fiery orb shone down on the pair with a fierceness that could not have been further from their mood. The gloom of nighttime would have been a better fit and at least would have served to conceal their lonely sorrow.

The pair continued on their way automatically, without a thought to their surroundings. Luckily, the forest was empty but for the twittering of birds and the chatter of scurrying squirrels. The day was warm and the animals rejoiced in the drastic change from the harsh winter.

_This winter was a bad one,_ thought Kagome.

_Worse than this? _

_No._

Still, the snow had been deep and it was hard to escape the chill even in the shelter of the longhouse. Kagome could still remember how happy they had been in spite of the hard times. They had each other and that was enough. Nokomis' joints had become creaky with the cold and Kagome had tended to her grandmother herself. She had administered the pain-relieving poppy seeds to the old one and created a salve to be rubbed into the pained areas.

_Mother taught me how to make that salve._

Shaking her head to clear it of the thought, Kagome set her sights ahead and tried paying attention.

_Just a bit farther and we should be able to see the valley._

Her prediction proved true. The pair crested the hill they had been climbing and were afforded a clear view of the lush, wide valley sprawled out below them. They began their descent into the depressed area, not concerned by the obvious lack of habitation.

Finally reaching flat ground, Kagome led Souta toward the northern end of the valley. She kept close watch for followers, though she tried to hide her paranoia for Souta's sake. She didn't want him to worry. It was her job to protect him, not the other way around.

They made their way toward the end of the valley and took shelter under a rocky overhang. They followed the jutting bit of rock above them to a well-hidden niche in the side of the mountain that marked the edge of the valley. Looking around one last time, Kagome ducked into a concealed cave, pulling Souta after her.

As soon as they entered the cave, they were greeted with the comforting sight of familiar faces. The cave had a slight chill, despite the smokeless fire raging in its center.

Looking around, Kagome saw that many people had made it to the shelter.

But many hadn't.

"Kagome! Souta!"

Both of their heads whipped around at the sound of Tooantuh's voice. The beaming father raced to embrace his children. Gathering them to him, he whispered nonsense in their ears, though they were able to get the gist of it. He was happy to see them, he had been so worried, everything would be okay…

Finally releasing his children, he drew himself up to his full height. Kagome couldn't help but notice the weariness in his eyes that threatened to betray the strong exterior he projected.

Tooantuh's voice rang throughout the rocky shelter.

"Everyone, please gather together. Sit and we will discuss this tragedy."

Their voices dying down, everyone found their friends and sat together, just as they always did when a counsel was going to take place. The men sat to the right of the chief and the women to the left. Kagome found a group of some of her friends and they sat together to hear what would be said.

"Miigwetch.

"A terrible thing has happened, but before we get to this matter I would like to know who is missing."

Names were whispered gently into the dank air as a last testament to the existence of their owners. Some began to shed tears of sorrow when they heard the names of their loved ones.

Kagome couldn't bring herself to say the name of her best friend, but she knew another whose name she had not heard.

Catching her father's eye she mouthed the word that she was concerned might break him.

_Mother._

He looked into the sorrowful depths of his daughter's eyes and nodded at the certainty he saw there. Now was not the time to lose sight of his duty. Tears for his lost love would be shed later, in the privacy found with his family.

Once the whispers faded to nothing, he took on his role as leader again. "We will not lose hope. They may be on their way, even as we speak. Until they arrive, we will continue our discussion. I would like to invite our great warrior, Inuyasha, to speak."

Inuyasha rose and took his place beside the chief.

"I saw the faces of our attackers last night, and there were some I recognized. I have seen those ugly faces before, many times actually. The invaders were of the Nótâxévestôtse tribe. Every year we have gathered with these people to trade in peace, and they chose to attack us in the middle of the night like the pathetic cowards we now know they are! Ovaheneg!"

A few of the People released audible gasps into the otherwise quietspace. Everyone else was shocked into silence at the warrior's words.

They had gathered every year with the Nótâxévestôtse tribe at the falls to trade goods and stories. Many people had even made friends among the other tribe at these yearly gatherings. They had eaten each other's food and danced around each other's fires. They had laughed together and held friendly competitions. The two groups had a long and peaceful history, so this was completely unexpected. No one would have ever guessed that the Nótâxévestôtse people would attack and kill their People.

Inuyasha returned to the men and sat with a smug look on his face. He had always been a violent one, hungry for battle. It was said that he had a soft side, though no one had ever seen it.

"Now," Tooantuh said into the shocked silence, "we know who has done this to our people. We do not know why. Does anyone have any idea why they would choose to attack us?"

There was a long moment where no one spoke.

"Keh," Inuyasha said into the emptiness. "Does it matter why? Cowards do not need a reason. All that matters is that we return the favor. We shall do to them what they did to us!"

A few of the men murmured words of encouragement to Inuyasha, patting him on the back in agreement.

Tooantuh, for his part, looked down sternly at the warrior.

"We will make no hurried decisions. Such actions will be taken later. I propose that we wait until tonight for the others to return. We will send scouts to quietly search for injured ones. Once the sun rises tomorrow, we shall return to our village and bury those that have been lost to us. Only then can our lives go on and decisions can be made."

He looked around him, seeing agreement on the faces of the People. When no one spoke up in disagreement, he continued, "Good. Then we will wait here for the others to arrive." He stepped away from his elevated spot in front of the tribe as everyone disbanded and began to speak in hushed tones about the newest development. Some of the women made their way to the back area of the cave where the supplies were stored and found cooking equipment and food to fill their hungry stomachs.

Tooantuh made his way to Kagome and voiced only one question.

"You are sure?"

At her sad nod, he fell to his knees and embraced his daughter, holding on for dear life. Souta joined them and the small family sat together, a cluster of sorrow and tears.

….

This is getting depressing.

Nahko'e – Mother (Cheyenne)

Miigwetch – Thank you (Ojibwe)

Nótâxévestôtse – Warrior Society (Cheyenne) [Yep, that's right. I made up a tribe.]

Ovaheneg! – Cowards!

I don't know if you noticed, but I don't like Inuyasha much.

Please review! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

~Siki


	9. To Release a Spirit

**In Which the Author Speaks of Things that You Would Rather Ignore:**

NOW ANNOUNCING PROJECT MOCCS: No, Moccs doesn't stand for anything. It means moccasins.

I was recently surfing the interwebs, when I came across a website built by someone that was on a mission to collect every type of geta. I decided that it would be amusing to acquire a pair of traditionally made moccasins in each regional style. No, I don't mean mass-produced Minnetonka moccasins… (not that I have those or anything, pfffft) and I don't mean Uggs. I mean the real thing. I'm kinda really excited to start! I already have mukluks, Ute hard-sole, and Salish side-seams. You can see a map of regional variations here: http:/www(dot)nativetech(dot)org/clothing/moccasin/mocmap(dot)html

DISCLAIMER: If I owned them, this would just be plain fiction, wouldn't it?

…...

Morning came as it always did, shedding light on the sadness and unpleasant goings-on below. The People had begun their journey back to the site of their village after spending the night in the shelter of the cave.

Kagome had been called upon to act as nursemaid to the three injured ones that were recovered from the scene of the massacre. Luckily, their cave was well-stocked with the necessary materials to tend their wounds. The man, Niichaad, had found himself rendered unconscious by a blow to the head, but suffered no lasting effects other than a raging headache.

The young woman was another story. Kagome hung her head just thinking about it. Kanti had been in the first teepee at the far end of the village. Not wanting the rest to know of their presence just yet, the attackers had entered the dwelling. The young woman had been sleeping soundly, only to wake with a hand at her throat. She was strangled until she passed out, just like the others in her teepee. Her home was then set aflame, her whole family inside. Only she and her mother had survived, both of them sustaining serious burns.

Kanti had received the worst of it though.

Through a combination of strangulation and smoke inhalation, the beautiful young woman with the voice of a songbird had lost her ability to speak. She tried and tried, but the only result of her efforts had been a hoarse grating noise and extreme pain. Kagome didn't know what to do other than pour cool water down her throat in hopes of soothing the injured tissues. She applied a cooling salve to both mother and daughter's burns.

Several others had found their way to the shelter, some injured, some not. It was these latecomers that had more information regarding those that had been killed in the attack. They spoke of several of the elders that never had a chance; a few children, slaughtered without honor; and even a pregnant woman had been killed, receiving a war club to the head after lumbering out of her burning dwelling. It was the deaths of these defenseless ones that caused the heavy atmosphere among the tribe. No one knew quite what to do or say, many settling on sobbing throughout the night.

Upon reaching the site of the village, no one said a word. For a moment they stopped and stared at what remained of their homes and families.

Eventually a few of the warriors stepped forward, silently still, and began gathering the bodies of the deceased. Slowly, others began to join them, returning to the teepees of those they knew had passed to uncover the bodies. Kagome walked slowly down the rows of teepees as though her own spirit had left her.

When she caught sight of her own mother, laying amidst the ruin and surrounded by the smell of burnt and rotting flesh, she felt nothing. She had become numb in her pain and loathing, empty of all thought. Her hopes and dreams were gone, she was devoid of emotion, and her awareness of the world around her had completely fled.

Until it all came back in a rush and Kagome found herself weeping at the side of her dead mother.

The young woman heard the sorrowful tones of the death wail rise in the air, not even realizing that they came from her own throat.

A grave was dug and the bodies collected. Each person was lowered into the grave individually as the People sang the burial chant. A canoe was lowered into the center of the shared grave to help the spirits of the dead on their journey to the Happy Place.

Once the grave had been filled in, the families of the deceased gathered the belongings of the dead together and burned them to release the essence of the owner because keeping the possessions of one who had passed could hold their spirit in the living world.

Kagome sat and watched as her mother's possessions were burned, and she felt as though her own spirit was being consumed by the hungry flames. Even as her mother's spirit was released, hers was bound by the guilt she felt deep in her heart. She sat with her family, Tooantuh's hair now cut short, and watched the flames dance around her mother's few belongings, leaping and swaying with no true rhythm.

She spoke her mother's name one last time before it could be given back to the tribe as her mother's well-worn digging hat was engulfed in flames. She said it as a goodbye, not as a summons.

"Makawee…"

…

Niichaad – Swollen [just a word] (Navajo)

Kanti – Sings, female implied (Algonquin)

Makawee – True Mother, spirit sense implied (Lakota)

Burial traditions are Nimiipuu. The death wail was used to announce the death of a loved one. Only women gave the death wail. I swear, you never want to hear it. It's beautiful in its sorrow, but it's a terribly heart-wrenching sound and you'll never forget it.

A canoe was sometimes buried with a body for the reasons above, just as possessions were burned for the reasons above.

The name of one deceased is never spoken in regards to them again. The name is given back to the tribe for reuse. If one speaks the name of the dead, their spirit hears it as a call and may return from the Happy Place and become stuck between worlds.

Please review! This chapter was so hard to write! You all really make me happy with your kind reviews. Let me know if you have any questions as well!

~Siki


	10. I Tried

Boozhoo! Thank you for returning to me :)

One thing I keep forgetting to mention is that this story is going to go down sort of like a real legend in some instances. Meaning… anything goes. Keep that in mind. I've been adding clues if anyone has picked up on them and knows their meaning, but I haven't gotten any guesses sooo… I'm assuming no one has.

If you have any guesses about what's going to happen in the story, please send them to me, either in a review or a message. I really want to know what you guys are thinking!

And if you guys don't review, then how do I know if my writing sucks?

Happy reading!

DISCLAIMER: Standard disclaimer applies. And I hate it.

…

It had been a few days since the People returned to their village. Tipis had been rebuilt, and as much as possible had been salvaged. Warriors were on high alert, guarding the village. No one left alone and women were always watched over when they left to gather from the surrounding forests.

Soon after the return to the village, it was decided that the warriors would go to the Nótâxévestôtse tribe. They were to be prepared to fight if peace could not be made.

Kagome dreaded the departure of the warriors. Her father would lead the men, though he was no longer the young man he once was.

She couldn't help the sinking feeling in her heart.

Kagome tried to ignore it, but she couldn't. Something wasn't right, but she hadn't any idea of what.

_Remember what happened last time you ignored a feeling you had?_

That definitely didn't help. Besides, that was different, right? The vision was a blatant warning, not a vague feeling of foreboding. Though she knew this, she felt she needed to tell someone. The feeling was related to the warriors, so it would make sense to tell one of them… and it just so happened that she knew, or would eventually know, one of the warriors very well.

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha, may I speak with you?"

He looked up at her with yellow-flecked eyes, seemingly irritated at the distraction. He was in the middle of fletching arrows, a very delicate process, and this woman wanted to talk?

Kagome saw the hesitation. She also found that she had a bad taste in her mouth. Though she had resigned herself to the fact that she had to marry him, that didn't mean she had to like him.

"Please? It's important."

He sighed but said nothing, only nodding for her to sit next to him as he continued his work. After he finished the arrow he was working on, the warrior looked up at the woman he had been told he would marry.

"What do you want?" he said. His tone was actually more polite than Kagome had expected.

Encouraged, she continued, "I… I need to talk to you. There's this feeling I've had…" She trailed off, lost in her own mind. Now that she thought about it, it was more than simply a feeling. Something was squeezing her insides while at the same time bubbling up in her stomach trying to burn its way out.

Inuyasha was getting impatient. She said she needed to talk, but she wasn't talking. She was effectively wasting his time. "Yeah? What kind of feeling?" He barely managed to keep the irritation out of his voice.

Kagome was brought crashing back into reality at the sound of his voice. "Oh, well it's this feeling like something's going to go wrong. With you and the rest of the warriors when you leave. I'm worried."

He gave a derisive snort. "You're just paranoid. Just because your mother died doesn't mean your father will too."

It was just the kind of callous thing he would say. Kagome instantly saw red. Though she could feel the sadness rise up at the mention of her mother, she quickly smothered it in the wake of her rage.

"How dare you? That has nothing to do with this! I swear, something's not right. A bad thing will happen when you leave, I'm sure of it! But no, you're too busy accusing me of paranoia to listen! Who do you think you are, to say something so rude?" She glared at him with an almost violent rage. It was then that she realised that she didn't just dislike him. She _hated_ him.

Inuyasha jumped to his feet, now angered himself.

"Why do you keep saying that? You'll bring bad luck to us, simply for the sake of your delusions! If something does happen it will be _your_ fault for saying such things!"

Kagome stood to look him in the eye. Her voice went dangerously quiet as the ice in her tone hardened like an icicle, ready to stab him through the heart.

"I see. Well, _niinimooshe_," she said sarcastically, "good luck on your trip. I'll be here trying not to be too paranoid while you're gone." She turned and left him spluttering nonsense at her back. The hatred in her voice surprised him and, though he would never admit it, it scared him. She had always seemed so sweet, but there was something formidable about that small female.

Tooantuh caught sight of his daughter stomping her way back to the family tipi. He was just heading back to prepare his things for departure in the morning, but he suddenly found himself rethinking the idea.

If Kagome was unhappy, no one would get any peace.

He thought about leaving her alone for awhile to calm down a bit, but he knew that wouldn't be the right thing to do. She had been having a rough time of it and he should be there for her as a father. But did she have to be so very emotional?

With a small sigh he pulled back the entrance flap to the dwelling and, lo and behold, there sat Kagome. She was already stewing in a big pot of anger and he really didn't want to get involved.

But it was his job.

"Kagome? Is something wrong?" _Please say no, please say no._

She didn't say anything. She just stared at him angrily from across the tipi.

"Please, Kagome? I can't help if I don't know what's wrong."

Finally she broke her stare to turn her attention to the floor. "Ninishkaadiz."

Well it wasn't much, but it was progress. "And why are you angry, Nindaanis?"

For reasons he couldn't explain, it was then that she decided to break down and cry. Terribly uncomfortable with crying women, Tooantuh could feel a major headache coming on. He made his way over to his daughter's side and took her in his arms. She didn't resist the contact, even going so far as to bury her face in his shoulder. The soft dusty scent of his buckskin war shirt filled her nose, the familiar smell calming her a bit.

"I tried, father, I really tried…"

He had no idea what she was talking about. None at all. At that moment he didn't particularly care, choosing instead to stay silent as he lifted a hand and stroked her long flowing hair.

She had grown so much in such a small amount of time, and whenever he looked at his daughter he saw a beautiful woman where his little Kagome should have been. Sometimes he made the mistake of forgetting that she really was just a child and she needed him to be there.

As Kagome sat in the safe circle of her father's arms, she savored every bit of him. The feeling in the pit of her stomach was growing and she was scared it would grow so big that she would just explode from all the pressure.

_I tried… I really tried…_

She repeated this mantra to herself, not quite sure what it meant.

_I tried._

_I tried to be enough._

_I tried to save them all._

_I tried to be strong enough for all of us._

_I tried to replace Mother._

_I tried to tell him._

_I tried to save you, Father._

…

Tooantuh's such a sweetie. I think I'll keep him.

Too bad I have to kill him.

Nahhh I'm just joshing you! heh heh :)

Niinimooshe – sweetheart (Ojibwe)

Ninishkaadiz – I am angry.

Nindaanis – daughter

Please review! You make the updates come faster, m'dears:)


	11. And Then She Knew

I'm excited to say that the last chapter got 100 views within twenty hours. That may not seem like much, but I know that as a very new and virtually unknown writer I really can't ask for much. It makes me so happy to know that people are reading and enjoying!

I'm writing this chapter now (1:52 a.m. on Monday morning), because I'm going to be MAJORLY busy this week. I'll post it either Monday or Tuesday night for you all.

I hope you enjoy!

As a side note, this chapter will have words from the Lakota Sioux (Teton) language, simply because I'm on a Lakota kick. I recently met someone that knows the language and it was nice to speak it again. I haven't used it in a while so I was kind of rusty :\ Must work on that!

DISCLAIMER: Don't own it. Because life just isn't that great…

…

_Again?_ Kagome asked herself. She cast about with her eyes, evaluating the landscape of her dream land. Still she saw the white flowers and dark sky. Stars were scattered aimlessly throughout the dark blanket, and she absently noticed that there was no moon to be seen.

"Hau, kola. Tanyan yahi yelo."

A voice as smooth as the finest buckskin made her whip her head around to face its owner.

There he stood, shining in the light of the stars. The twelve-feather headdress made him look even taller, even more intimidating, and she shivered in the cool, moist air. His long silver hair served only to remind her of the light of the moon, if the moon's rays could be melted down into a smooth liquid form. The deep blue mark of the hanhepi wi still held its place on his brow, just as the magenta slashes retained their position upon his high cheekbones. She found herself in awe of his almost feminine beauty. His broad shoulders were bare this time, his war shirt gone; his upper body was well-toned and his cegnake with matching hunska sat low on his hips.

_He called me friend,_ she thought as she stared at the waning crescent on his forehead. They didn't really know each other that well. _Not that he hasn't been helpful. But I don't even know his name…_

"Taku eniciyapi hwo? What is your name?"

His eyebrow rose. That was becoming a habit, it seemed.

She thought he wouldn't reply when he finally broke the silence. "I have told you," he said lazily, "it is of no importance."

Kagome was getting frustrated. What was so difficult about telling her his name? What was the big mystery?

"Fine," she snapped, surprising even herself with her rude tone. "Then why am I here? You warned me, but I didn't listen. It's over. There's nothing left to say."

Her sadness grew inside of her as she deflated, coming to permeate the air and stifle the two.

In response to her statement he said nothing, only nodding toward the ground at her feet.

She followed the direction of his gesture and her eyes fell upon a flower. Sure, there were many flowers around, but this one was different.

It was yellow streaked with black.

Kagome felt the first stirrings of dread claw at her insides and strangle her heart, nausea threatening to overwhelm her.

_Yellow… the color of trouble and strife. Black… for problems and death._

She bent down to pick the offending plant. It seemed so small, one among a thousand others. The petals were the soft velvet of most flowers and Kagome couldn't help but think that such an insignificant flower had to be harmless. Surrounded by white flowers, for peace and happiness, she hoped that this was a mistake. Perhaps it was nothing. Maybe she was reading too much into it.

_You are ignoring again,_ her mind supplied.

She lifted her warm brown gaze from the flower in her hands and turned her attention to the figure in front of her.

"What… What does it mean?" The question was a whisper and she almost worried he wouldn't catch it, that it would be forever lost to the slight breeze and she wouldn't have her answer until it was too late. Until there was blood and fire and screams and –

"What do you think it means?" he whispered back, slipping into her mind in place of the tormenting memories.

"I… I don't… I don't want to think." She answered with nothing but the truth, thinking that perhaps her own honesty could lift the veil of mystery from in front of her eyes… as if all could become clear with a simple statement of pain and dread.

"Hn."

She looked up at his bored expression and wondered how that little sound could say so much. To one that spoke much and often, the thought of single-syllable answers was an anomaly.

Suddenly he was close in front of her, the flower in his own hand.

"Then do not," he said and grabbed her wrist. He let the flower fall from his grasp to be lost in the sea of white even as she gawked up at him. She was enraptured by his beauty and surprised by his boldness.

The warmth of his hand on hers calmed her soul slightly, easing the turmoil in her overwrought mind. The tingling brought on by the touch of his skin upon her own sent a jolt through her body as everything faded to black.

Kagome woke to the sound of light conversation through the material of the tipi. Rubbing her eyes and peeking out, she immediately noticed that it was not even dawn yet. The sun still lingered just below the horizon, refusing to lend the strength of its light to the land below.

She stood and exited the dwelling only to see her father gathered with the other warriors. They were obviously waiting to leave, their packs full. They said they went to make peace, but her father refused to touch her in farewell, a sure sign that he was prepared to fight.

She bid the men goodbye, ignoring the stare Inuyasha leveled in her direction. She watched them depart as she prayed to One Who Lives Above to keep them safe.

Kagome ignored the tendrils of fear that crept into her heart and flowed through her veins as the retreating form of her father shrank into the distance.

A great raucous was put up the next night at the edge of the village. The People were gathered around the fire, telling stories just like the old times. Kagome sat with Souta and listened intently to the words of the elders as they wove pictures of the Creator's love in the night air.

Kagome lifted her head only to see her father's favorite message runner come sprinting into camp ahead of the returning band of warriors.

"Come quick, fetch the medicine man! The chief is wounded!"

And with those words, Kagome's world shattered around her, leaving her all alone to pick up the pieces of the life she once knew.

…

I truly am evil. Mwuahahahahahahaha :]

Hau, kola. Tanyan yahi yelo. – Hello, friend. I am glad you came. (male speaking)

Hanhepi wi – Moon (literally 'night sun', can be shortened to 'hanwi' for informal use)

Cegnake/hunska – breechcloth/leggings

Color symbolism is Tsalagi.

Touching loved ones (especially women) before leaving for war was often considered a type of jinx. It was thought that hugging loved ones before battle would keep the warrior's mind distracted in the heat of the fight and he would be hurt. In tribes that were adamantly against female involvement in war (to the point of forbidding women to touch weapons under the belief that the weapon would immediately break or become otherwise useless) touching a woman before war would bring bad luck.

Please review!

~Siki


	12. If Only for a Reason

I'm baaaaaaack!

Please leave me a review… you make me so happy when you do:)

I know a lot of people hate this, but I really want to thank everyone that has reviewed thus far! You all make my life wonderful!

On Dokuga: denise, Stefani, Yoru-101, TruGemini, Silvermane-Eclipse, Archerdiana, BlueHeavensAngel, Kittie, Jenis Miranda, and cathstar

On IYFF: Crescent Rose, Adelaide, and Native_wolf1

On : Peaceful Dragon Rose, Dark Dream Angel, Happyfish, Smiling Twilight, juusan'ya, Momomiya Ichigo Loves Inuyasha, and SailorVengeance19

Noooooow, on with the story!

…

Kagome watched in horror as the warriors lay her father down on a bed of skins in their tipi. She had followed after them when they entered the village with no thoughts in her mind at all.

The medicine man was called for and the warriors were told to leave. Only she and the mashkikiiwinini were left in the tipi along with Tooantuh's still form. The medicine man brought out his gishkibidagunnun and set to work assessing the man's wounds while Kagome found herself looking not at her father's face, but at his chest. The rise and fall of his chest was her only lifeline, the only reassurance she had in a broken world. As long as he breathed, she could survive. As long as his blood flowed through his veins, she would not lose herself in the blackness of her own guilt and shame.

Mokosewi Ohtuk, the medicine man, began pulling back layers of buckskin to reveal the places where crimson blood bloomed like desert flowers from the wounds of the chief. Upon closer inspection, Kagome could see many scratches around his upper torso, neck, and head. The scratches were those commonly found on one that had run through a dense forest with no thought to low-hanging branches.

_He was forced to run like a common coward,_ she realized. She felt pain and shame for him; there was no doubt anywhere in her mind that to be forced to do so would have greatly injured his pride.

Tooantuh had also sustained multiple wounds around his stomach and a slash to his calf had surely cut down to the muscle. Kagome grimaced at the sight of her father's oozing blood, but found herself unable to gain release through the flow of tears. She couldn't help but think that perhaps she had dried herself completely out. She had been crying herself to sleep often recently, finding strength in hiding.

Mokosewi Ohtuk pressed squares of finely woven fibers to the wounds to staunch the blood as he prepared salves and ointments to aid in the healing.

"You would do well to sleep; he will need you much in the coming hours and days."

Kagome was surprised to hear the crackling voice of the wrinkled old medicine man. Her own voice stuck in her throat and she was unable to do anything but nod. Something in the back of her mind wanted to tell him it wasn't that simple – that it was all her fault and she couldn't just close her eyes and sleep while her father spilled his blood out to the Earth Mother, giving his life away to the universe and keeping none for himself.

She held her guilty protests in and moved over to her sleeping mat. She pulled the furs around her and turned her back to the other occupants of the dwelling.

She fell into the darkness, lulled to sleep by the slow and steady spirit chant of the medicine man behind her.

When she reached the realm of her dreams once again she didn't even bother to evaluate her surroundings. Kagome's knees buckled and she fell to the ground, surprised when she was met with nothing but pale, dry dirt. She was sitting in the middle of a barren wasteland.

She swore she could hear the earth screaming.

It seemed that tears could only come in her dreams. She sobbed and wept as if she could bring moisture back to this dry place. She didn't even bother to look up when a pale pair of feet made their way into her line of vision. She did not respond when a pair of strong hands gripped her upper arms and pulled her to her feet. And she most _certainly_ did not meet the amber gaze of the man who stood before her, holding all of her weight up for her.

He said nothing, only moving to pull her closer. Her tear-stained cheek met the plush fur of his shirt and she was astonished when her arms wrapped themselves around his masculine body of their own accord. She sobbed into his strong chest for what seemed like hours.

No words were exchanged between the two. They stood in the middle of their shared wasteland with the moonless sky as their only company.

Kagome woke with tearstains on her cheeks and whispers of comfort in her ears. Mokosewi Ohtuk remained by her father's side, as was evident from the steady spirit chant. When she rolled around to view the inhabitants of the dwelling, she saw Souta looking her directly in the eyes. She ran to him and held him for all she was worth.

He whispered to her of the long night he had spent in fear. Nokomis had taken him to her and Tunkasila's tipi. They hadn't wanted him to see his father's suffering, but instead of finding comfort in the distance he became even more terrified. He had not slept at all, staying up only to worry every moment that his father had passed to the Happy Place without his son at his side.

Brother and sister sat together for a moment, both listening to the faint in and out of Tooantuh's breathing. Kagome felt the presence of another in the dwelling and raised her head to meet the eyes of the young man. She recognized him as the young man her father had chosen as his lead warrior. In Tooantuh's absence, this young man – _Tokori?_ yes, that sounded right – would take charge of the tribe and lead the other warriors.

Tokori peered in through the flap in the tipi. He saw Kagome straining to meet his gaze and obliged her, motioning for the young woman to follow him out into the sunlight. She stood and joined him outside, the voices of the People rising around her and sounding entirely too cheerful for her current mood.

"Wociciyaka wacin… I need to talk to you," he began uncomfortably. With plenty of distractions now to use as an excuse, he refused to meet her eyes and began wringing his large, work-calloused hands.

"Toka hwo? What is wrong?" she asked, wanting him to go on so she could return to her father.

Still, he would not look at her. "We have learned… we have learned why the Nótâxévestôtse people attacked us."

Already, a knot began to form in her stomach. She knew she wouldn't like whatever it was he was going to say next. Against her better judgment (she seemed to be ignoring her better judgment a lot as of late) she nodded for him to continue.

"It seems that… it is the fault of one of our own warrior's and the Nótâxévestôtse chief's daughter.

"Apparently, Inuyasha has been caught sneaking around with her without the knowledge of any other."

…

:D

Maskikiiwinini – Medicine Man (Ojibwe)

Gishkibidagunnun – Medicine bundles (Ojibwe)

Mokosewi Ohtuk – Black Elk (Maliseet/Passamaquoddy)

Tunkasila – grandfather (Lakota)

Tokori – Screech Owl (Hopi)

Beginning of Kagome and Tokori's conversation is Lakota Sioux. The meanings are right there with them.

Oh, and in case you've forgotten, Nótâxévestôtse means "Warrior Society" in Cheyenne.

review!


	13. A Light Spirit and a Peaceful Mind

Lucky #13:)

Exciting, I know.

Thanks to everyone that's reviewed since last time!:

Your-101 (Yes, dear. You will always be the first. Now, please don't hurt me.)

MissTeak (Get better soon! Though you'll be better by the time you read this, I bet… hehe)

*cathstar

Vou

elisa128

Zero1101

Crescent Rose

Standard disclaimer applies:)

…

"You see, no one knew about it before but… it turns out that the chief's daughter is now with child. The tribe became angry, and… well you know what happened after that."

Kagome could only stand there in shock. _Inuyasha got the Nótâxévestôtse chief's daughter _pregnant_? What?_

Tokori finally looked at the victim of his confession and noticed that Kagome was looking a little slack-jawed. "Um… Kagome? Are you okay?"

She didn't seem to notice his question and continued to stare at an unknown point over his right shoulder. He saw her lips begin to move and had to strain to hear her faint whisper. "That... that little wikoska…" She trailed off with a faint smirk on her lips. Tokori almost blushed at the words she uttered, but forgot his embarrassment when she began to laugh the too-loud laugh of the insane. He was getting seriously concerned for her health.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! Guess I won't be marrying him now, will I? Ha ha ha ha!" The girl's mind had clearly fled. Her betrothed had been revealed having an affair with another, and here she was laughing hysterically to the point of clutching her sides.

"Er… Kagome? I think you should go inside, get out of the sun. You're obviously stressed right now, so -"

"Ha ha ha ha! And I was worried! Ha! And guess what? It wasn't my fault! Ha ha ha ha!"

At this point he had _no_ idea what she was talking about, but he was willing to bet that she didn't completely know either. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the tipi, hoping that the presence of her father would calm her frazzled nerves.

It did. He saw her eyes land on his still form even as she swallowed her laughter with a loud gulp. She was totally still, not even breathing, while she watched the medicine man gather his things. He turned to her and nodded his goodbye.

"Wait! Where are you going?" she asked nervously. Surely he hadn't given up? He wouldn't just leave her father there to die, to bleed out while his children looked on…

"The wound on his leg has become infected. I have left medicine and instructed your brother on its application. We will pray that it works, but in the meantime I must prepare for 'iikaah," he told her, his crinkled voice like dried autumn leaves in the wind.

She nodded, her mind already consumed with worry. She didn't know whether it was good that he would be performing the sandpainting ceremony, or a sign that her father had taken a turn for the worst. As she followed the slow rise and fall of his strong chest with her doe-brown eyes, she wondered if the gods would even help at this point. She had been given several warnings, and ignored them. Why should they help her now?

Absentmindedly she noticed that Tokori had left the tipi and Souta had at last been overcome by his weariness and fallen asleep at Tooantuh's side. She rose and crossed the tipi to where the furs lay in a neat pile. The young woman chose the most plush fur she could find and draped it over her brother.

She told herself she picked that one with her brother's comfort in mind, refusing to admit the real reason; refusing to admit that it reminded her of someone.

Someone whose warm, comforting embrace she craved at that moment.

It had been four days since Mokosewi Ohtuk left to begin preparations for the 'iikaah ceremony. In the four days, four being the holiest of numbers, he fasted and prayed to the diyin dine for strength in his healing. He gathered and consecrated the colored sand; white for the dawn and the east, blue for the midday sky of the south, yellow with the evening sky in the west, and the black of the northern night sky. The men of the village built a ceremonial hoghan and the medicine man blessed it, making it fit for use in the ceremonies.

On the evening of the fourth day, Souta and Kagome helped to move Tooantuh into the ceremonial hoghan. Their father slept inside, his head toward the east, while they spent the night wrapped in furs outside the hoghan. To stay inside would be to desecrate the sacred space meant only for the medicine man and the one sung over.

On the dawning of the ceremony's first day, Mokosewi Ohtuk rose early, joining the sun in greeting the earth. He made his way to the sweat lodge and did his four endurances, praying for strong healing power and for the presence of the yeibeichai in his paintings. With a whisper of "Hokh. Mitakuye o'yasin. Hecetu welo," he left the sweat lodge.

The medicine man then turned in the direction of his personal tipi. Gathering the sacred sand that only he could touch, he continued on to the hoghan.

Ducking inside the low door formed by the anointed beams of wood, he emerged inside the hoghan. Looking up, he uttered a silent prayer once again for strength as he stared at the clockwise anointed wooden beams.

By this point, Kagome and Souta had awoken. They watched in anticipation as Mokosewi Ohtuk propped Tooantuh into a sitting position, facing the east and the sunrise. Once Tooantuh was fully upright, he began his chant.

He started with the healing portion of the Hozhooji, or Blessingway, chant. He sang of the diyin dine's creation of Man and Animal, and eventually the First Sickness. After each verse, he spoke the words "___Sa'ah naaghéi, Bik'eh hózh__o____ó," so as not to slight the Holy Ones. _

___At last he began his first painting, calling the spirits of the yei to guide him. Upon the consecrated floor of the hoghan, he depicted a scene of healing. Head facing east, he painted in the deepest black the form of Father Sky as shown in the Male Shootingway song. He took small handfuls of the sand from their earthenware bowls and sifted the grains out slowly between his fingers as he chanted. The male yei formed beneath his fingers, speckled with stars arranged neatly into significant constellations. As he painted the stars with his dry medium, the old medicine man recounted the story of Creation and the formation of the constellations._

___After several hours the painting was finished. Mokosewi Ohtuk did not yet cease his chanting, for he now had to move the one sung over. Walking slowly over to Tooantuh, he somehow maneuvered him into the center of the image without ruining the depiction. Once again, Tooantuh faced the symbolic east, resisting the urge to groan in pain at the jostling he had received. The medicine man continued to sing, this time of the vanquishing of evil spirits by the holy yeibeichai. He dipped his fingers in a yucca paste and brought them to the top of Sky Father's head. The grains of sand clung to the appendages and the man brought his coated hand to Tooantuh's stomach, where the injury resided. He repeated this process all over his stomach and around his leg, chanting for healing yei power._

___Mokosewi Ohtuk only stopped his chanting when the sand covered the injured areas. He finished his song with the end of the Blessingway chant:_

"Hózhóogo naasháa doo  
Shitsijí' hózhóogo naasháa doo  
Shikéédéé hózhóogo naasháa doo  
Shideigi hózhóogo naasháa doo  
T'áá altso shinaagóó hózhóogo naasháa doo  
Hózhó náhásdlíí'  
Hózhó náhásdlíí'  
Hózhó náhásdlíí'  
Hózhó náhásdlíí'

In beauty I walk  
With beauty before me I walk  
With beauty behind me I walk  
With beauty above me I walk  
With beauty around me I walk  
It has become beauty again  
It has become beauty again  
It has become beauty again  
It has become beauty again."

Finished with the first 10-hour segment of the ceremony, he collected the used sand with respect for its holy power, to be dispersed in the six holy directions later – east, south, west, north, up to Sky Father, and down to Earth Mother.

Souta and Kagome looked on from the door of the hoghan, confusion in their minds, as Mokosewi Ohtuk placed a pinch of sand each in two simply decorated medicine pouches. On his way out of the hoghan, he handed them to the siblings to be worn around their necks. This practice was not unheard of, but it wasn't terribly common. To carry the holy sand with them was to invoke the strength of the yeibeichai in their father's name until such a time as he was healed.

The siblings found themselves lighter in their spirit after the first ceremony. The point of the ritual was not only to cure physical and mental ills, but to reestablish trust in the Holy Ones in the mind of the afflicted and his or her family.

As Souta and Kagome settled down again to watch the sun set beyond the horizon, they said nothing, only moving closer together. Both had decided to fast to honor the One Above in their time of need.

Kagome took a long gulp of water from the jug she had beside her, the only thing she would have to fill her empty stomach. She handed the jug off to Souta when she heard a small gurgle from his direction.

The two sat in companionable silence, each thinking secret thoughts and praying fervent prayers. When the time came, they fell asleep with Souta in Kagome's arms, the cool night air and the waxing crescent moon keeping them company.

Kagome opened her eyes only to see two amber ones staring deep into her own. She gasped and sprang up into a sitting position, fully immersed in her dream world.

She stood for a better view and took stock of her surroundings. The man before her still watched her, eyes like the eagle whose twelve miigwanag he wore in his headdress.

The ground had begun to sprout the beautiful white flowers again, no longer the barren wasteland it had been only a night previous. The soil was rich and fertile, giving life to the plants that sprouted from it. The flowers weren't quite as plentiful as they once were, but Kagome did not doubt that they could fill the vast plain once again.

She turned to her male companion under the moonless sky and said nothing, only giving him a warm smile.

It was the smile she used to use, before she had been broken. She could never be quite the same, but here under the stars she felt peace in her spirit.

It was like coming home.

…

Wikoska – Venereal disease… I thought you'd like that one ;) it's Lakota Sioux.

'Iikaah – Navajo Sandpainting. Literally "Where gods come and go"

Diyin Dine – Holy People (Navajo)

Yei/Yeibeichai (Yay'-beh-shay is the proper pronunciation )– the holy characters that bring healing power to a sandpainting

Hokh… Hecetu welo – "Yes. All my relatives, it is indeed so." Sort of like 'amen' in that it closes a prayer.

Miigwanag – feathers (Ojibwe)

Pleaaaaaaase leave me a review! Please?

Oh! And more about sweat ceremony later ;)

~Siki


	14. Where Will You Go?

I was going to write this chapter sooner, but I was too busy not writing this chapter. I decided, while not writing this chapter, to watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries.

That being said, let's move on to the story you're here for.

My cracker just broke off in the cream cheese. I hate that.

…

The digging began the next day. Until the leaves began to turn and the first cold wind blew, the women of the tribe would gather in the great fields to dig the camas bulbs. Mokosewi Ohtuk had risen early the first morning to bless the fields before heading back to the hoghan to continue the 'iikaah ceremony.

Today, he would chant and paint the Earth Mother, his female assistant joining him to paint the four sacred plants. For him to do so himself would be a direct insult to the female Earth Mother yeibeichai and, more than ensuring lack of yei power in the painting, would most likely bring down great harm to the medicine man and the one sung over.

Kagome, having matured enough to don the digging hat of the women quite some time ago, was expected to take part in the digging of the camas. She rose at the same time as the other women and collected her hat – the one her mother had woven for her at the time of her Changing Woman ceremony – and digging stick before going to join the ikwaywug at the river. There they bathed and readied themselves for the harsh physical labor of the day.

Their spirits were light and their minds were free of all worries. The splashed in the cool water and laughed at each other's words and antics, with the knowledge that as time goes on, so must people; many of the women that had joined them in the past were gone, but that changed nothing. The camas grew and withered in the way of all living things, including people, and it was the job of the strong young women to live their lives and provide for the tribe. This was the way of the People; it had always been this way and it always would be. The sooner one accepted such truths, the sooner one could move on.

The digging participants' laughter did not falter as they emerged from the water. Drying off and dressing, they made their way to the fields, their light spirit filling the air and causing the glare of the sun to seem more friendly than harsh.

Kagome's voice joined that of the others in jest and laughter, not even noticing the approach of the young warrior.

"Kagome," whispered her friend, Tomahpiya, "Inuyasha's coming over here. I think he's going to talk to you!"

Kagome's head snapped up and she made eye contact with the brash warrior walking her way.

"No, he wouldn't do that," she said icily. Her voice wasn't loud, but she made sure that it carried enough to reach him. "He wouldn't do that because it's quite obvious that I have nothing to say to him." She watched with a sick mirth in her eyes as Inuyasha flinched. He didn't, however, stop his approach, only slowing down a bit at the sound of her freezing cold words.

Tomahpiya knew better than to say anything to that.

_An angry Kagome is a dangerous Kagome._

Kagome stuck her nose as high in the air as she could while still being able to see where she was walking. The other women greeted the warrior that had begun walking with their group, though the warmth was absent from their words as well. Word circulated quickly within the tribe and everyone knew of Inuyasha's… misadventures.

Everyone had an opinion on it, but no one knew just what to do with him. They had come to the general consensus that it would be best to let the chief heal, and then let him deal with the stupid boy. Until such a time as a decision could be made, they would be nice to his face and keep their true thoughts concealed.

Kagome chose to ignore the rumors of retribution. Many of the People wanted to go to war with the Nótâxévestôtse, arguing that the dead would find no peace in the Happy Place if left unavenged. They would walk forever in the afterlife covered in burns and blood, an everlasting token of the way they died. She didn't say anything in response to those that wanted it, but deep in her heart she knew it could only bring bloodshed and death to a tribe that had already seen too much of such things.

The voices that rose in greeting toward the warrior grew closer behind Kagome, and she knew that meant he was also drawing nearer. Cringing inwardly, she maintained her icy exterior.

A work-calloused hand grabbed her shoulder and roughly spun her around. She found herself face to face with a very angry, very unpleasant, young man.

"Why are you ignoring me? I need to talk to you," he told her, his tone suggesting that she should be of a mind to drop everything just because he had something, most likely rude, to say.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha," the girl replied, obviously not sorry at all. "I was just on my way to go work in the field. You know, to provide for the people whose lives you endangered." She spun on her heel with every intention to walk away and leave him standing, mouth agape.

"Hey! Don't be that way. It's not very attractive. And I'm not about to let you talk to me like that, woman!"

That stopped her. 'Not attractive'? Who did he think he was? She turned back around and slowly began walking back to him, her voice deathly quiet.

"'Not attractive'? My apologies. It's always been my greatest desire for you to find me attractive, Inuyasha. After all, the fact that you got half of us killed just makes you even more appealing. I'll be sure to speak more respectfully next time. I hope you can forgive me," she said as she approached, her usually delicate tones heavily laced with sarcasm. She reached her previous spot, just about nose to nose with the man she had been betrothed to.

His eyes widened with every step she took and with every word that hissed out between her teeth. She was _really_ mad, even he could see that, dense as he was. Putting on a brave face, he decided to pretend that he wasn't scared of this woman.

"Well, good. Be sure to remember that next time. Uh, anyway, your grandmother wants to see you. She said it's important."

Kagome gritted her teeth and focused on the message rather than his stupidity. "Where is she?" she asked, teeth still tight together.

Glad that she wasn't being difficult anymore and eager to be done with this conversation, he replied, "She's in her tipi with that other old one, Nahmana I think? She wants to see you before you start digging."

With a sigh, Kagome nodded. She walked away from the warrior without a word or gesture of farewell. She wanted nothing more than to metaphorically wash her hands of his troublesome self, and it was awfully hard to do so with him hanging around all the time.

Making her way to Nokomis' tipi, she pondered the reason for her summons. She had no idea why her grandmother would want to see her, never mind Nahmana.

She was consumed in her thoughts all the way to the other edge of the village where Nokomis' tipi rested. When Nimishomis had passed, Nokomis chose to stay alone in their old tipi rather than do the usual thing and move into the tipi of one of her children.

Lifting the flap of the tipi, Kagome poked her head in. She couldn't see anything, her eyes unused to the dim lighting. "Nokomis?" she called into the darkness.

"Yes, Noozhis. Come in, sit down so we may talk."

She nodded and ducked through the entrance. She was now able to see the faces of the elders that sat before her. Nokomis was old and wrinkled, but when Kagome looked at her all she could see was the beauty her grandmother once was. Her relative's pure spirit had made aging kinder to her than to most, as a sweet spirit often did. Nahmana had aged as well, her joints becoming stiff and painful. The years echoed in her sparkling black eyes and drifted in laugh lines about her face. Both of the women kept that same youthful spark in their eyes, but they were too old to do the work of the younger women. They had survived the attack through sheer determination alone, somehow making themselves run enough of a distance to take shelter in the trees.

The two had always been the greatest of friends, sharing stories, laughter, and family. Nahmana never married or had children of her own, eventually coming to adopt Nokomis' family as hers.

Kagome took a seat across from the old friends, waiting to hear why she had been called for.

"Aani, aabinoojii. Aaniin ezhi-ayaayan?" she asked with a smile.

Kagome beamed in return. "I'm well, Nahmana. I was just wondering why you wanted to see me."

The two niijikwewag glanced at each other before returning their gaze to the young woman that sat before them.

"You are troubled by what has happened," Nokomis said softly. It was more a statement than a question, but she still expected an answer.

"I… suppose. It's been difficult, but I'm getting better as time moves on. Mostly I'm just worried about Nindede. He seems so…"

She trailed off, her eyes taking on a faraway look.

"Yes, Kagome, your imbaabaa has been injured greatly. But Mokosewi Ohtuk has assured me that he will be fine, recovering fully and once more taking charge of the tribe. He also says that you have been quite nervous, watching your father like a hawk. We are worried for your health. And we also…" Nahmana left off there, preferring to let Nokomis finish.

"We think that you should not take part in the digging. You know that it is bad to participate in the digging with a heavy mind. There has been enough difficulty among the People. A tainted camas harvest is the last thing we need." She spoke gently, not wanting to hurt her granddaughter's sensitive heart, but the words still stung.

Kagome hung her head. "I know that digging with a sad spirit can harm the camas crop. But I feel like I will go mad if I don't do _something._ Not contributing anything to the tribe only serves to make me feel worse. What am I supposed to do, kunsi?"

Nokomis could feel her granddaughter's shame and sadness. A part of her felt that there was something more, more than just grief and worry for her parents. There was a certain dread, a foreboding in her eyes that made the viewer stop and look again, to try and make a connection between the smile she gave the world and the premature aging that hung in her deep brown depths.

Nahmana knew where Nokomis was going, having conversed with her at length before this meeting. "We think that perhaps it would be best if you left for a while. A bit like the time before your Changing Woman ceremony. I was a medicine woman once, in my youth. I can preside over a temni ceremony for you. After that, you can go and find peace for a few days. You can return when you have once more found the balance within your soul."

_What? A sweat ceremony?... They want me to leave for a few days? Alone?_

"Uh, I… are you sure? I don't mean to be disrespectful, and I appreciate your concern, but isn't this a bit… drastic?"

"Kagome," Nokomis said softly, "there is a pain in your heart that you have not admitted to having. Not only do you deny it to us, you deny it to yourself. Now is the time to remedy the situation. Before such a time as the pain becomes too large and you lose yourself to it."

_How can she tell? How does she know that I'm not okay… That everything is wrong and it's all my fault. Wrong, wrong, wrong…_

"Okay, Nokomis. If you really think I should…"

_Wrong, wrong, wrong…_

Then I will take your advice. Thank you for your help. When do I leave?"

_Wrong…_

Nokomis nodded and looked to her friend. "We will hold the ceremony tomorrow at dawn," came Nahmana's firm reply.

"Okay. Thank you," she whispered.

_Everything… wrong…_

…_.._

Ikwaywug – women (Ojibwe)

Tomahpiya – Blue Cloud (Lakota) I thought about naming her Maske ('female friend of a female') but I decided I didn't always have to be literal.

Nimishomis – grandfather (Ojibwe)

Aani, aabinoojii. Aaniin ezhi-ayaayan? – Hello, child. How are you?

Niijikwewag – female friends… notice the 'ikwe' denoting them as women. Male it would be Niijiiwag. A mixed pair would be Niiwijiwaagan.

Nindede/imbaabaa – father (Ojibwe)

Kunsi – grandmother (Lakota)

Temni – literally, "he sweats" (Lakota)

Digging superstition = true!

Just realized something. "Sota" in Lakota means smoke. Hm.

So anyway, I looked online at a name website in the Amerindian section, just for inspiration. It's nice that they don't have to worry about such trivial things as accuracy. They decided that "weeko" means pretty girl in Lakota. I give you an emphatic and resounding NO to that. Remember how Wikoska means venereal disease? Well, guess what word is slang for Wikoska. Mhhhhm. Poor children of the world…

Hey! It's a digging stick!:

http:/www(dot)anamp(dot)org/nescp_curriculum/illustrations/NP-nimiipum-digging-stick(dot)jpg

Hey! It's a digging hat!:

http:/www(dot)tomlaidlaw(dot)com/otkiosks/otcc/indiansofgranderonde(dot)jpg

It's the girl on the left.

Thinking about adding pronunciation keys at the end of the chapter. Yay or nay? Let me know.

I also forgot to mention: You guys are a bloodthirsty bunch! You all were eagerly awaiting the punishment of teh yusha. While amusing, it was pretty scary. Don't worry. No matter where you are, Karma's a b*tch and he'll get what's coming to him.


	15. The Four Directions of the Wheel

Yeah, it's a new chapter. DEAL WITH IT.

Sorry. I'm feeling a bit aggressive.

And now, by popular demand, featuring PRONUNCIATION KEYS! Woohoo.

Please review :) Oh, and a new vote. I'm doing an alternate ending after the real Epilogue for this because a lot of you will hate the end. So tell me: do you want a lemon in the alternate ending? Implied lemon? Or do you not want me to ruin the innocence of the story? *glare* Let me know in your review :)

Reviewers!

Adelaide

Fish Wishes

One2Handcuff

*cathstar (pickled food items FTW!)

TruGemini

Lady Fluffy86

Yoru-101 (Hah! You're last! Nanny-nanny-boo-boo!)

…

Kagome woke a little before dawn, the streaked grey sky meeting her drowsy gaze. She sat up from her place outside the ceremonial hoghan to see a small dish of food next to her.

She had told Souta of her impending departure and the first detail he expressed concern over was her fasting. They both planned to fast until Tooantuh was healed, but that was when she would be staying in the village. He told her to eat something before leaving and her only response had been a noncommittal, "Nacece."

She began picking through the mixture of the small dish. None of it was cooked, but it was all sweet fruit that would at least give her a bit of energy. Finding her favorite miinan, she felt a bit of excitement banish her drowsiness. Kagome went through and picked out all of the blueberries to eat first before downing some of the others: ode'iminan, miskominag, mashkiigiminag, ookweminan, and odataagominag. The berry mixture was sweet and juicy, and her early waking suddenly didn't seem so bad.

She left a few in the bowl, hoping he would eat some when he got up. Licking her fingers, she moved the bowl closer to his sleeping form before pushing off her heavy blanket.

Prepared to make her way to the stream, she was startled to hear his voice.

"Ota hayata hwo?"

She beamed down at him, not caring that he had his back to her. He was still so concerned about her, taking on the protective role of a man even though he was still so young.

"Han," she nodded. "Imapi yelo. Miigwetch."

No response was forthcoming, though she thought she heard a mumble of "wasteh" come from underneath his covers. She shook her head, though her smile never faded as she turned her body to the east and the rising sun.

Reaching the edge of the river, she jumped in without a second's hesitation. The cool water washed over her and stole the breath from her lungs. Her dress and hair clung to her body as she climbed out, a few minutes being plenty of time for now. She would bathe more thoroughly later, after her purification was completed.

She reached the east-facing opening of the wickiup, its withes of aspen lashed together with rawhide cords and covered in buffalo hides. Standing to the side of the wickiup, she waited for Nahmana's approach. The fire pit blazed not six steps away from her and already the heat made her sweat. In the center of this space sat a small mound of earth, an altar with a post in its center. On the post sat the skull of a bear and at its base an eagle feather had been placed. Beads of the four sacred colors were scattered around the altar. The post had two small hooks protruding from the wood, but they were empty.

Kagome lifted her eyes from the altar and greeted Nahmana with a smile. The old woman walked side-by-side with one of Mokosewi Ohtuk's female assistants.

Approaching the altar, but not going past it – for only the fire keeper could pass the altar – she knelt at its base. Pulling a chanunpa decorated with mottled feathers and colored beads from the medicine pouch at her neck, she lifted it to Sky Father, dipped it to Earth Mother, and held it out to the four sacred directions, beginning with east, before placing it gently in the cradle of the two hooks.

The young assistant made her way to the edge of the sacred fire, a smudge stick of bound sage in her hand. She lit the tip and blew out the flame, causing tendrils of smoke to waft through the air. She handed it to Nahmana before returning to tend the fire.

Nahmana plucked the eagle feather from the altar and approached Kagome. The medicine woman raised the smudge stick, using the feather to waft the smoke around the young woman. She repeated the process over her own body.

Both women slowly dropped to their knees at the wickiup entrance before crawling in. Nahmana went first, moving in a sun-wise, or clockwise, direction. She kept her body close to Mother Earth, showing her humility to Father of All Things. She travelled all the way around the circle, reaching the other side of the lodge entrance. She held up the entrance flap and Kagome followed, avoiding the pit in the center of the lodge and taking her place at the back of the wickiup. She sat with her legs crossed and her back leaning softly against the lashed beams of the dome-shaped building. Nahmana dropped the flap, a signal to the fire-keeper to prepare the stones.

"You are free to leave the lodge if the heat becomes too great. You know what to speak out in such an event. Now we will have a silence to pay respect to Creator, for this is his place," Nahmana's voice rang out, soft but carrying with the strength of one in power.

Kagome bowed her head at the medicine woman's bidding.

_Ussen, I give you my respect. Please purify my soul now so that I may better do your bidding. Guide me with your hand, Creator of All Things, Grandfather of the Earth. I am lost and my spirit has been broken. Please,_ she almost begged, _please bring peace to my soul._

Nahmana lifted the flap after a short time and called to the fire-keeper to bring the stones. The young woman began bringing the stones into the wickiup after sweeping the embers from them with a small bough of cedar. The stones were red hot, showing that the spirits of the Stone People had awakened from their slumber.

She placed first a stone on the west edge of the pit, then the north, the east, the south, and finally one in the middle to honor Grandfather. She placed one smaller stone in the pit to honor Grandmother, and one more to honor the People. After the stones had been placed, she backed out of the small space and sealed the flap.

Nahmana allowed a silent moment to pass before reaching for the Water Drum at her side. The water drum was a tightly woven jug with a taught leather top pulled over most of the opening. She beat the top four times with her hand. She called forth the Western Spirit in accordance with the properties of the Medicine Wheel, asking for the power of introspection, so each participant could examine the workings of their own soul. She then turned to the north, asking North Spirit for the wisdom of the past and of the elders to guide the participants. Next came the Southern Spirit, to give the participants a heart of warmth and passion. Last came the East Spirit, which she asked for inspiration and a new beginning. Between each direction, she beat the drum four times, for this number is holy.

After each direction had received her attention, Nahmana tipped the jug and poured water on the stones. This she did four times, causing steam to fill the air.

After this was done, she began her prayer.

"Mysterious Grandfather,

It is your Spirit we hope to find

As we walk the Red Road of destiny

That you have put before us.

"Tunkashila, Sky Father,

You give us all we have.

Thanks and praise to the One who has provided us the World.

Thanks and praise to the One who has provided us our Life.

We come to you and ask only for the blessing of your guidance.

"Sacred Grandfather,

Help us to walk your holy path.

Give us strength, give us the will,

To guide our own hearts, and the hearts of our children.

Let us pass through this great Darkness.

Teach us how to heal our wounds,

And the wounds of others,

So that we may heal the World.

"We wish to begin our journey at this time,

In this day, in this hour.

Let us start our Great Healing

And bravely walk the Red Road in Peace."

Nahmana finished her prayer and Kagome absently noticed the wet trails her tears carved down her ashen cheeks at the old woman's sincere words. The prayer left her feeling lighter, the purification begun. The steam curled around her like a lover's embrace, reminding her of someone that she certainly didn't want to think about right then.

"The first endurance has begun. Now we ask Black West Spirit for guidance in all things."

Kagome settled into the silence, her awareness rising with the temperature. The cleansing sweat trickled over her skin, completely ignored by the young woman. She opened her mind, not doing anything at all, only being.

_What you are does not dictate what you have…_

_There is a pain in your heart…_

_Kagome, I need you! Ningotaaj…_

_Nimaamaa…_

_Let's pretend nothing's happened…_

_The chief is injured…_

Kagome heard the whispers of the past rising from the depths of her mind, unbidden and disorganized. They wrapped around her, ropes binding her heart, her soul. She was confined inside the past with no hope of moving on.

_Enough! This is not what first endurance is for._

_Black West Spirit, Creator, I call upon you now. I ask that you be with me, and guide my spirit. Life has been hard, but… but I want to move on. I need your strength to live for the future._

The small prayer brought her mind some peace. It always seemed that actually _doing_ something was the cure. She needed to feel like she mattered, like she was actively working for her goal. Being stagnant was not an option.

"The first endurance has ended. Now is the time to enter the cooling waters of the river, if you so wish."

Nahmana opened the small flap and looked toward Kagome, a question in her eyes. Kagome met her gaze and gave a small shake of her head, declining the offer to leave. Nahmana nodded and closed the flap.

"The second endurance has begun. We have asked Black West Spirit for guidance. Now we ask White North Spirit for strength in spirit. We ask Creator to give us humility and purity so that we may move on to the Red Road of the East."

Nahmana's voice rang clear and strong in the small space. Kagome was proud of her Elder's strength, that at that age she could go through a forty-five minute long endurance and not be affected.

_Purity… Humility… Strength… These are the things I need, Creator. I ask for the power of White North Spirit to help me on my journey. Let me pass this endurance so that I may continue on to be of the East and the Red Road. You set me on this Road, Creator, and I intend to follow it. I need your guidance in becoming closer to you, being one with Earth Mother and Sky Father. Let me be pure enough to hold this Power you have given me. Let me have humility so that I can use it in a way that honors you, Grandfather. Give me strength so I can control my Power and use it to help the People._

Once again, Kagome found her spirit drifting. She lost all sense of herself, coming only to know the heartbeat of the Earth Mother beneath her and the Sky Father above her.

Just as she felt her Power begin to tingle underneath her skin, the flap was opened.

"The second endurance has ended. Now is the time to enter the cooling waters of the river, if you so wish."

She looked at the girl before her and caught her eyes. Kagome had a moment of inner debate before nodding.

"Mitakuye Oyasin," she whispered, signaling her departure from the wickiup. Nahmana nodded and moved away from the wall so that Kagome may pass behind her on her sun-wise route out of the space.

Kagome emerged and instantly gasped, shutting her eyes. The sun was blinding after her time in the wickiup, and she found herself completely disoriented.

Opening her eyes after a few moments, she broke into a run, jumping into the water as soon as she reached the edge. Her dress and hair were thoughly drenched a second time, having finally dried out from her morning dip.

She pushed her long black hair out of her face and pulled herself from the water. Taking a deep breath to prepare herself for the next endurance, she lifted her face to the sun and felt its gentle warmth, a far cry from the excruciating heat of the sweat lodge. She could still feel the heat invading every part of her body, wrapping its way around her limbs and filling her lungs.

She returned to the sweat lodge, the heat of the sacred fire greeting her as she passed. She nodded to the young woman acting as fire-keeper before dropping to her knees just outside the entrance. Once again she made the clockwise journey to take up her previous position.

Nahmana closed the flap and nodded.

"The third endurance has begun. We have asked Black West Spirit for guidance. We have asked White North Spirit for strength, humility, and purity. Now we ask Red East Spirit for wisdom to help us on the Red Road of life, and we pray to the Eastern Daybreak Star and Rising Sun that we may always be guided and governed well. We take this time to pray to Creator for knowledge of ourselves that we may better know Creator."

The tingling started almost immediately. Kagome didn't ignore it, knowing that she had done so too many times. She let her Power rise within her, leave her body, and wrap her up in its ethereal warmth. The heat was different from that produced by the stones; it was more welcoming and giving than harsh and demanding. The lodge's heat pulled and stole the sweat from her body while Ussen's Power gave her sanctuary, away from the pressure of the steam.

The sparks beneath her skin continued as she prayed.

_Creator, I am what you made me to be. I have ignored your call, the gift you gave me, but not anymore .I want to walk your Red Road with your wisdom by my side, to always guide me truly. I do not wish to deviate from the path of destiny you have set for me. Please, Daybreak Star, Rising Sun, Red East Spirit, you who were made by our Creator, give me the wisdom to know myself. I wish to know how to banish the darkness in my spirit._

The tingling grew greater and greater, becoming almost unbearable. At the height of her Power she lost her breath, quivering against the wall of the wickiup as she lost her strength as well.

There was no warning. All there was to be found was the cool wind on her face, her hair snapping like the crack of a whip, and the greenery of the Earth Mother before her.

_Why am I not scared?_ she thought. _Why does this feel… right?_

She lifted her eyes from the ground below and reached out her arms to embrace Father Sky as she soared over the earth. A small bit of her mind was still present, and it was the part that recognized her surroundings.

_That's where Souta and I spent that night… and that's where the Safe Place is… _her path curved in an arc toward the village and she felt a sob lodge in her throat at the sight of the burial ground.

_That's… that's where Mother is._

_No. It's not. Her spirit has gone on…_

She realized what Ussen was showing her. These were all the places she had left pieces of her heart, forgotten in time, abandoned like so many leaves floating in the wind. Parts of her spirit sat bound to each place, and only she kept them there.

_I always thought everyone so callous, so without care to forget about them so soon. But it was me. I'm the one that has forgotten. I forgot about living. I forgot about Mother, too. I forgot her smile, her warmth, her life. I forgot her wishes for me. All I see is what she would be now, rotting away in the earth._

_Even the dead have moved on, but I have not._

The tingle lessened and she felt her spirit begin its slow descent back to the earth.

_Everyone else saw it. Only I did not…_

The last traces of Power fled from their place beneath her skin as the medicine woman and sweat leader's voice rang out.

"The third endurance has ended. Now is the time to enter the cooling waters of the river, if you so wish."

The flap was lifted and closed again as Kagome made no move to leave.

"We have asked Black West Spirit for guidance. We have asked White North Spirit for strength, humility and purity. We have asked Red East Spirit for wisdom on this Red Road of life, and prayed to Daybreak Star and Rising Sun for personal knowledge. Now we ask Yellow South Spirit to mend our hearts so that we may grow with time, for it is with growth and maturation that healing is achieved. At this, the culmination of our ceremony, we take all things we have been given by the sacred directions and Creator, so that we may walk bravely the Red Road of peace and prosperity."

The last endurance. The last endurance could be the longest or the shortest, depending on the mindset of the participants.

Kagome found that she had the mindset of one that made time travel faster.

_Creator, I thank you for your patience with me. I thank you for showing my way, and showing me the errors therein. I will not resist your call again, for now I know that this brings only strife._

_Yellow South Spirit, I ask that you mend the damage time – no, I – have done to my spirit and heart. My way from now is clear, but to continue in the way I have been shown, I need to repair the injuries to my soul. I ask for you to show me the way of maturity and growth so that I may heal with time._

The warmth wrapped around her once again as her spirit left her. She had no thought, no emotion, only life. Breath came and went, blood flowed, and her heart continued to beat in time with the Earth Mother.

"The fourth endurance has ended. We have received the blessings of Creator and the four directions in this time of purification. Go now and walk the Red Road with peace in your heart, love in your mind, and passion in your spirit. Hokh! Mitakuye O'yasin! Hecetu welo!"

" Mitakuye o'yasin," Kagome replied. The two women made the sun-wise journey out of the sweat lodge.

Once both had straightened and gone to the river to cool their overheated bodies, Nahmana looked at Kagome.

"Well. Now your journey begins," she said, a warm smile creasing her wizened features.

…

SO. LONG.

Nacece (naw-chay-chay) – I suppose(Lakota)

Miinan (Mee-nun) – Blueberries(Ojibwe)

ode'iminan (O-day'-ih-mih-nun) – Strawberries(Ojibwe)

miskominag (Mih-sko-mih-nug) – Raspberries(Ojibwe)

ookweminaan (Oo-kway-mih-non) – Cherries(Ojibwe)

mashkiigiminag (Muh-shkee-gih-mih-nug) – Cranberries(Ojibwe)

odataagominag (O-duh-tog-o-mih-nug) – Blackberries(Ojibwe)

Ota hayata hwo? (O-tah hai-ah-taw hwo) – Have you eaten enough?(Lakota)

Han (Hawn) – Yes(Lakota)

Imapi yelo. (Ee-maw-pee yay-lo) – I am full(Lakota)

Miigwetch (Mee-gwaytch – Thank you(Ojibwe)

Wasteh (Wah-shtay) – Good(Lakota)

Wickiup (Wih-kee-up) – It's described up there *points at chapter text*

Mokosewi Ohtuk (Meh-keh'-sow-ee Eh-took) – Black Elk

Chanunpa (Cha-noon-puh) – 'Peace Pipe'

Ningotaaj (Nin-go-tohj) – I am afraid/I feel fear (Ojibwe)

Nimaamaa (Nih-mah-mah) – Mother (Ojibwe)

Mitakuye O'yasin (Mee-taw-koo-yay o'-yay-seen) – All my relatives! Sort of like 'amen'(Lakota)

Hokh! Mitakuye o'yasin, wecetu helo! (Ho-kuh! Mee-taw-koo-yay o'-yay-seen way-chay-too hay-lo) – Yes! All my relatives, it is indeed so! (Lakota)… think "Amen! *firm nod*"

An apostrophe means a slight catch, like the pause in "uh-oh"

Please review! This chapter was a pain in the unmentionables.

Blah.

~Siki


	16. The Song Beneath the Stars

Blah.

There will be a lemon.

Please hold your applause until the end of the Author's Note.

…I have nothing else to say. Please review? Yeah, that'll work.

OH. Be prepared to find out the deal with Sesshykins. And before you hate me for it, I've warned you. ANYTHING goes in this story.

….

Kagome left as the sun reached its zenith. She traveled eastward, hoping to keep the sun at her back as she walked, visibility being rather important in the wilderness… especially with a whole tribe, known for violence, very ready to make you their enemy.

She carried nothing with her save a blanket and her bow and quiver, for she planned to fast until such a time as she chose to return to the village. This trip reminded of her Changing Woman ceremony, the time when she became a woman, earning the respect and taking upon herself the responsibilities of an adult. Her goal was the same: to spend a time wrapped in the arms of the Earth Mother so that she may see the path before her clearly and experience spiritual growth.

Ducking into the shelter of the trees, the young woman began weaving her way through the dense undergrowth. She pushed the branches aside with her work-hardened hands and the trees slowly thinned. The going became easier and by the time the sun had reached its destination in the west, dipping below the horizon to rest before once again gifting the earth with its light, Kagome had settled herself in by a small brook. The water chattered as it wound through the forest, singing sweet nothings to the one that chose to stay by its banks.

Kagome lay down her fur blanket and leaned her back against the tree behind her. She wasn't quite ready for sleep just yet; she planned to do a bit of stargazing to calm her mind.

She lifted her half-hooded lids to the sky, right to the place where she knew the waxing gibbous moon should hang in the blue depths. She gave a mental shrug when she noticed its absence, blaming the clouds and turning her attention to the constellations strewn across the sky.

It was said that once the moon and sun had been made by First Woman, she noticed the great space left in the night sky. She gave Anpetu Mahpiya clouds, but did not know what to give Hanhepi Mahpiya. She decided that while clouds would dim the harsh light of Sun, she should fill Nighttime Sky with something to aid its light and guide the weary when the moon's path ventured into darkness. She chose to paint the sky with stars, depicting great scenes and the first people of the past with light.

Kagome smiled to herself. _Just a child's story,_ she thought,_ Surely no person painted the anangoog into the sky… no matter how much Power one has, we cannot change quite so much by ourselves. What is it Nokomis likes to say? "He who would do great things must not attempt them all alone." No one can do such great things without help…_

She abandoned her line of thought when she felt a presence grow behind her. Snatching up her bow and nocking an arrow, she whipped her body around and prepared to defend herself.

There in all his shining glory, stood the man from her dreams, glowing like a god and smirking at her feeble attempt to appear threatening.

Kagome blushed and lowered her arrow as she tried to avert her gaze. His light captivated her, seeming to come from within his body. It was almost too bright to stand and his image was burned into her eyes, into her very soul.

His chest was bare, his pale skin radiating a soft, cool light. His breechcloth sat low on his hips. The leggings he wore were heavily adorned with that plush white fur that just made her fingers itch to touch it. On his brow sat the familiar headdress made of eagle feathers, just above his waning crescent, the perfcct match to his high, magenta-striped cheekbones. The wind picked up and caught his silver hair with transparent fingers, earning the young woman's jealousy for she just about _ached_ to do the same.

The silence stretched between them, neither one of them breaking the tension-filled stare. After what felt like a small eternity, he brought his eyes to the moonless sky, much in the same fashion as she had.

"Mizhakwad," he stated, obviously choosing to stay on lighter topics. If he wished to be honest with himself, he would have realized that her staring at him like that made him uneasy, though his male pride sort of liked it.

She stumbled around in her mind trying to figure out what it was he had just said. "Oh… Gisinaa," she said with a light chuckle. She rose and moved to stand by his side, pulling her blanket from the ground and wrapping it around herself as she did so. She wasn't joking when she said it was cool out.

His eyes slid over to peer at her from the corners of his eyes with his head not moving a bit. He gave a low "Hn," of agreement, plunging the pair once again into, albeit this time a bit more comfortable, silence.

Just as every other time they met, Kagome couldn't help herself. She turned her whole body to look at him, savoring that split second when her only view was of him, his head turned up to appreciate the beauty of the twinkling stars, his pale skin glowing with a light that only he had.

"Aaniin… ezhinikaazoyan?" she whispered, almost to herself. She didn't really expect an answer – he had already turned her question down several times – but still, she hoped.

She was surprised when he didn't immediately reject her inquiry, opting to sigh instead.

"The answer to that question is… complicated," he settled for after an instant of inner debate.

Kagome huffed. And she was so close, too!

"Then please… tell me," she began softly, needing to know, "aandi wenjibaayan?"

He finally turned to look at her, a warm wistfulness in his amber depths. "The answer to that question is about as difficult as the first," he said with a light chuckle. Kagome thought she caught a slight hint of bitterness in his usually rich tones. Either way, there was certainly no mirth to be found in his laughter.

"I guess it won't be easy no matter which question you answer. So why not just get it over with?" She prodded with a smile. Her met her eyes and smirked down at her. Lifting the band of feathers from his brow, he placed it gently on a nearby rock and came to stand closer to her. He refused to meet her eyes, preferring to stare at a spot somewhere over her right shoulder.

"Gimikwenden ina… Do you remember the stories the elders told when you were small, of how all of this," he made a small gesture to indicate the life surrounding them, "came to be?"

He began his story and, though she didn't see how it was relevant, she settled into his words like she had settled into the fur that she hugged tight to her body.

"First Woman was medicine woman for all the land. She was the one that the People went to when they were in need of anything, big or small. It only stood to reason that she would be the one whose help they sought when they felt the darkness pressing in all around them, stemming from its source in the north.

"At this time, there were three lights that shone to guide the People: the white light of the mountains in the east, the blue light of the mountains in the south, and the yellow light of the mountains in the west.

"The People decided that these lights were not enough. They asked Tokeya Winyan to help them. She agreed to their request and sent Glowworm to the eastern edge of the world, Fire Fox to the south, Lightning Beetle to the west, and Firefly to the south. They used their light to help the People, and for a time the People were happy.

"Soon, the People decided that this light was not enough. They wanted different temperatures and seasons, daytime and nighttime.

"First Woman thought for a time, at last deciding to contact Man Of Fire Mountain. Fire Man agreed to help her, but he was only able to bring light to the area surrounding his home in Fire Mountain.

"The People were, once again, satisfied for but a short time. Soon they realized that the smoke became thick and robbed their lungs of air while scorching the Earth Mother at the same time. They asked for a different solution.

"First Woman met with a council of elders and they decided on a plan of action. Men were sent to find the largest slab of stone in the land, for the People use only what is given freely, refusing to dig from the earth.

"They returned with a giant slab of quartz and First Woman marked two large circles in the rock. Workers were found to cut these circles from the slab of quartz.

"The first circle was covered in heat-giving turquoise and decorated with red coral to give light. Two horns were placed on the circle, one to carry rain and one to carry thunder. Cardinal, lark, flicker, and eagle feathers were given to this circle of stone. It was placed in the eastern sky to give light to the People, becoming the sun we know today.

"The second circle was covered in white seashells and abalones, to produce cool moisture. It was also given red coral around its rim, and yellow pollen marked the base of this disk. The two horns of this stone held soft breezes and lightning. Crane, magpie, turkey, and nighthawk gave their feathers to bear the weight of the stone. The disk was placed in the western sky, to become the moon.

"But the sun and moon were not quite finished. They sat still in the sky, never changing, never moving. Eagle came to First Woman and offered his help. He gave her a total of twenty-four tail feathers. He told her that as he was guided by his tail feathers, so would the moon and sun be. A headdress of twelve of these feathers was given to each of the stones.

"It was then that First Woman became sad. She realized that, as beautiful as her creations were, they had no spirit. They were moving stones suspended in the air, but they did not live at all.

"Two wise old men saw First Woman's pain and came forth. They offered their spirits to her and told her that one could become the spirit of the moon and one could be the spirit of the sun. She agreed and thanked the men, using their spirits to give the stones life.

"Ever since that time, a spirit is given to the sun and moon each. The spirit lives on and embodies the sun or moon as they move across the sky. After a time, the spirit becomes weary and is given a new life, while the sun or moon is given a new spirit to guide it."

His voice trailed off into the pitch black night. Kagome had begun to catch on, but she still wasn't sure of what he said. Her jaw hung open as she stared at him, glancing over at his headdress every few seconds with an incredulous light in her eyes.

He finally met her gaze, regretting the action as soon as he did. Her look no longer stroked his male pride or made him feel warmth in his soul.

It only reminded him of just how far apart they were, how impossible all of this was.

"You didn't finish," she whispered.

"…What?" he asked. He was pretty sure that was all there was to it.

"You didn't finish. You didn't mention the part where the rest of the stone was used to make the stars. That's my brother's favorite part." She flashed him a small smile.

"I… I believe you are missing the point of the story."

She shook her head, a sad smile painting her delicate features. "No, I'm not. You're… special. And it doesn't mean anything. It explains a lot, actually…

But you still haven't answered my question. What is your name?" she asked as she took a step closer.

He was astonished. He just told her that his spirit was tied to the moon, and she was worried about something so insignificant as a _name_?

"What do you wish to call me?" he inquired, not sure where this was going. He didn't really have a name; anyone that referred to him would use the name of the month.

"Hmm… Well, it's Wasitonwi right now, the Moon of Ripening. I don't really like that though… I think I will call you…" she was a little bit lost, not wanting to reveal too much of her feelings, but not sure of what to call him. She met his eyes and had a sudden burst of inspiration. "I'll call you Mazaskazi Ista, because your eyes are so wonderful," she said with a small laugh.

He had no idea of how to respond, the thought of having a name a novel concept. She saw he was uncertain of how to proceed, so she made the decision for him. Opening her fur wrap, she stepped close and pressed herself against him, enveloping him in her warmth. She placed her ear against his chest and closed her eyes as she listened to the most beautiful song of all – his heartbeat.

…..

Don't kill me. Thank you.

Origin of Sun/Moon/Stars is Navajo. I cut out some bits, but only minor details. I told you anything goes… so, yeah. I've been planning for Sesshoumaru to be the moon since the get-go.

Anpetu Mahpiya(Ahn-pay-too Maw-pee-yaw) – Day Sky (Lakota)

Hanhepi Mahpiya(Hawn-hey-pee Maw-pee-yaw) – Night Sky (Lakota)

Anangoog(Uhn-uhn-goog) – Stars(Ojibwe)

Mizhakwad(Mih-zhuh-kwud) – It is clear weather(Ojibwe) The "zh" is like the "su" in the word "measure."

Gisinaa(Gih-sih-nah) – It is cold weather(Ojibwe)

Aaniin ezhinikaazoyan?(Ah-neen ay-zhin-ik-ah-zo-yun) – What is your name?/What are you called by?(Ojibwe)

Aandi wenjibaayan?(Ahn-dih wehn-jih-bah-yun) – Where are you from?(Ojibwe)

Tokeya Winyan (Tow-kay-yah Ween-yahn)– First Woman (Lakota)

Wasitonwi (Wah-shee-tone-wee) –Moon of Ripening/August (Lakota)

Mazaskazi Ista (Mah-sah-skah-zee Eesh-tah)– Gold eyes(Lakota) Mazaskazi is literally "yellow silver"


	17. Vision of the Bear

Thank you to my dear reviewers!:

Yoru-101

MissTeak

BlueHeavensAngel

Aoi Mitsuki

*cathstar

TruGemini

Madison

Adelaide

Native_wolf1

Alyssakuga

Mangamaniacgurl

Madison

I'm so sorry if I've forgotten anyone! Let me know and I'll put your name up there. :) This Siki is too lazy to go back and look, hence the possibility of forgetting.

I'm sorry it's been so long. Major case of writer's block, in addition to major events and such.

Buuuuut, in the midst of my writer's block, I wrote a new story to help relieve a bit, and it worked! It also helps that I have a paper to submit, and this is my way of procrastinating.

It's called The Hunter and the Huntress and it is based on the story of Orion. Please check it out! Please?:) Linkie: .com/fanfiction/story/4347/1

If you're reading on IYFF or FFNet and don't want to go to Dokuga, just click on my penname up there *glances up* to go to my page and see the story with the summary.

Anywhatsit, I don't own Inuyasha or the characters therein, so no need to hate on me in the form of legal action.

But let me remind you one more time: this story isn't supposed to be puppies and rainbows. Never mind double rainbows… but really. The end will be a mixture of sad and newbeginningsyay. This chapter is one that may make you mad:) Oh, how I love to make you guys mad at me!

…

The young woman woke from her deep slumber, a slight smile on her face and happiness in her heart. She didn't quite realize why until, having probed her mind thoroughly in search of recent events, the fact that she had spent the last night in the arms of the man that gave life to the moon came to light in her groggy head.

This was, without a doubt, a strange bit of information to wake up to. She could have sworn she dreamed it if it weren't for the warmth in her chest that blossomed as a spring flower, spreading its roots through her whole body. She lay still upon the ground as a slight blush tinted her cheeks.

Kagome made no move to rise, reveling in the memory of his skin against hers, his strong heartbeat still ringing in her ears. Her mind fogged with the lingering clouds sleep, she remembered only vaguely his departure.

He had held her in his strong arms, slowly pulling her to sit with him on the banks of the small river. They sat and watched the night sky and its sprinkling of stars, such a familiar sight to them both, a constant in an ever-changing world; she was eventually overtaken by her fatigue and was cast into the warm, welcoming darkness. He held her until the sky had begun to lighten in the east, signaling the time of his power coming to an end. She rose out of her stupor only a fraction, just enough to feel his presence and catch a peek of his shadowed form from between her lashes. He lowered her gently to the fur laid out on the forest floor and, for some reason, she thought she could remember the slight press of his lips against her forehead. He had collected his headdress and left, to where she had no idea.

Kagome chuckled lightly to herself at her own crazy ideas. _Wishful thinking. It's not as if he would actually kiss me. He certainly doesn't have any feelings for me, just as I feel nothing for him._

Succeeding in almost convincing herself of this mostly undeniable truth, she moved on to the schedule for the day.

_Okay, so first I should probably get up…_

_And then what?_

Kagome harrumphed to herself. _Good question._

After a bath in the refreshing waters of the stream, Kagome turned her mind to the matter at hand. She sat on a rock by the o'he'keso – the same rock her… _friend_ had rested his headdress upon, she remembered absently – and let the sun caress the soft red ochre of her skin. The memories warmed her more than the sun ever could.

_That's not why I'm out here,_ she reminded her inner self with a regretful sigh. _This isn't about attractive moon spirits, or anyone but myself. _Looking up to the sky to gauge the time, she judged it to be around nishwaaso-diba' iganed. Gathering her things together, she set off to find what she could in the depths of the light-dappled ma'taa'e.

_So, why am I here?_ she questioned. Kagome was having a hard time removing the likeness of a certain glowing moon spirit from her imagination, and it was making it rather hard to focus on the task at hand.

_Well,_ came her firm reply, echoing in the depths of her mind, _Nokomis and Nahmana want me to find inner peace. And I'm guessing they want me to learn something about myself in the process. Like the part of my womanhood ceremony, being sent away to discover my wyakin. This is just like that. Only now I don't know what to look for…_

_This could be more difficult than I originally thought._

With a long-suffering sigh Kagome put everything out of her mind, clearing it of all thought and blocking out everything but her more basic instincts and the messages she received from her senses. She walked this way for a time, letting the power of the earth and the vibrations of the life around her become one with her soul, her deepest self. It came to her naturally, as if her spirit was straining for this moment, this time when she could become nothing but part of the original Mother, losing the small bits and pieces that made her Kagome in favor of becoming something bigger and much more important.

She could feel it, and it made her halt in her tracks. There was something there, coming to grow directly in her path. She felt no fear in the face of this presence; it radiated a warm and familiar glow, not unlike the feel of being a child wrapped in the arms of one's mother. She felt peace in its presence and she closed her eyes as the source of the power grew. The strength of the being became greater until Kagome thought that she would topple, completely overwhelmed. Heat danced like raging flames across her skin and caused a small sheen of sweat to form upon her brow.

Kagome had felt this once before. It was not a stranger to her and she knew to wait until the power had completely accumulated before opening her eyes. She followed the oft-repeated advice of Nokomis, counting to ten in the depths of her mind at a slow, steady pace.

_Bezhig… niizh… nswi…niiwin…_

Her instincts were telling her to back up from the great heat produced by the growing presence, but in her sprit she knew that this was a test, not unlike the endurances of the sweat ceremony.

_Naanan… ngodswaaswi… niizhwaaswi… _

It grew and grew until finally it peaked and she felt her body heave a sigh of relief as the pressure lessened.

_Nshwaaswi… zhongswi… mdaaswi. _

Finishing her counting and opening her eyes, Kagome's expectations proved to be right; for there, not eight paces away, stood the largest grizzly bear she had ever seen.

But she had seen this bear before at the time of her Womanhood ceremony. The grizzly bear was her wyakin, the animal known to her as her spirit guide.

Suddenly Kagome realized that her spirit animal should have revealed to her long ago what she had only learned recently. To be guided by the bear was to be a being of dreams and Power. Sacred to Creator, misabe makwa was known as a vessel for the spirits of the earth.

Stepping closer to the bear, the young woman extended a hand to caress the masses of deep chestnut fur that covered him. She lost sight of the appendage in the great shaggy mounds of it, amazed by the radiating warmth that began in her hand and travelled through her whole body. A soft, familiar growl vibrated in the chest of the nesemoo'o, causing greater power to course into the very core of her body.

His deep, rumbling voice echoed in her mind.

_You seek my guidance._

He spoke not so much in words as he did in impressions. She felt rather than heard his meaning and the sound wrapped around her in tendrils of power.

"Yes," she spoke out loud, finding her voice to sound feeble next to the strength and impact of his statement. Human language was inadequate in the face of raw spirit power, nothing but a string of meaningless sounds.

"I need your help, Giizhik Makwa. I would ask for the power of bear medicine to show me the way forward." Kagome's voice shook, her body buckling under the pressure of his presence.

_I was sent by Creator to advise you and help you understand your Power. I may not tell you what to do, for your will is what shall decide your actions in the coming days. But though I cannot tell you, I can show you what is to come._

Her breath hitched in her throat and a frightened shiver racked her small frame. His voice was full of foreboding and the knot of dread grew in her stomach once again.

Nodding to reassure herself more than to answer him, she looked into the depths of his intelligent black eyes.

The air hummed with spirit energy once more as her vision began to fade to darkness. The swirling black and grey reminded her of smoke as it began to clear.

She stood in the middle of a great forest, the foliage dense and lushly green. It would have been a peaceful setting if the most important thing were not absent: sounds. There was not a bird chirping, not a snake to be heard slithering upon the fallen leaves. The atmosphere and general mood of the area was one of dark anticipation. She was reminded of how it felt to stand on the shore with a large wave approaching, that second of waiting for it to crash either upon your head or harmlessly upon the sand at your feet. That instant of fear, not knowing just how safe you really were.

The wave broke over her with a loud wail, a war cry released from the throat of a warrior.

Kagome felt herself break out into a cold sweat and burst into action, sprinting through the trees toward the sound. She broke from the cover of the forest onto a wide open plain and the breath was seized from her lungs at the sight that met her eyes.

On her right were the warriors of her own village, painted for war and brandishing fearsome-looking weapons as they surged forward.

On her left were warriors she recognized as Nótâxévestôtse, rushing to meet them.

The two groups clashed in a flurry of shouts and screams, limbs and weapons. Kagome stood frozen as she watched the mayhem, a small portion of her mind causing her to grasp the gravity of the situation. Her stomach lurched when she saw the blood and the feel of needless death filled the air.

Vaguely she remembered her vision at the lake in a time that seemed so long ago, but this time was different. This time both sides were engaged in the fight, both hoping to destroy the other in one great rush.

She stumbled as her world seemed to be thrown off-balance, but was saved from falling by the enormous spirit animal that had ambled slowly up behind her. When her hand came into contact with his fur she could feel the contact he had made with her mind open once more, giving her an opening to ask her question.

"What… what is this?" she inquired of him as another wave of nausea hit her. All around them people fell, unable to see the bear and the young woman watching from the fringes of the battle.

_This is the future, _came the deep voice. The feel of his deep tones thrumming through her bones came as a comfort, but his actual words were not. _This is what will come to pass. And you must be ready for it._

She could never be ready for this. Nothing could prepare anyone to see this kind of mindless destruction, the sound of a war axe singing its way through the air, the cry of the warrior when it made contact.

"No, I can't… this is horrible. There must be a way to stop it. Please tell me how I can make this stop. Please!" she begged. She just wanted it to all be over, for this to all be nothing but a nightmare.

_There is no stopping this._ He looked at her with those huge black eyes, the ones that held so much wisdom and care. They saw into her soul, catching a glimpse of the fear and sorrow that still dwelled there.

_There are many things that we can change, child, but this is not one of them. This war will happen. You have two choices: You can either continue to deny this truth and be left completely unprepared… or you can decide to accept that the universe works in its own way, and be ready for what is coming._

_In regards to action, your options are thus: you can sit idly by and watch the world move on without you, or you can gather all of your strength and be a part of it._

_What will you choose?_

…..

This is what happens when I push out a chapter. Pure, unadulterated crap. I would be very disappointed with this chapter if I wasn't still coming down from a shoe-shopping high. Oh, sweet, sweet stilettos…

O'he'keso (O'-hih'-kih-sho) – Stream (Cheyenne)

Nishwaaso-diba'iganed (Nih-shwah-so-dih-buh'-ig-uh-nehd) – Eight o'clock (Ojibwe)

Ma'taa'e (Mah'-tah-ah'-ih) – Forest (Cheyenne)

_Gindaaswinag (Numbers, said Gin-dah-swih-nug):_

Bezhig (Bay-zhig)

Niizh (Neezh)

Nswi (Nsweh)

Niiwin (Nee-wihn)

Naanan (Naw-nen)

Ngodswaaswi (Ing-od-ah-swih)

Niizhwaaswi (Neezh-wah-swih)

Nshwaaswi (Nsh-ah-swih)

Zhongswi (Zho-ng-swih)

Mdaaswi (Mid-ah-swih)

Misabe Makwa (Mih-suh-bay muh-kwuh) – Grizzly bear (Ojibwe)

Nesemoo'o (Nih-sih-moo'-o) – Spirit guide/Spirit Helper (Cheyenne)

Giizhik Makwa (Gee-zhig Muh-kwuh) – White Cedar Bear (Ojibwe) White cedar is a plant of spiritual cleansing, healing, and protection, fitting for Kagome's needs and the protective nature of the bear. His spirit name includes an element to further explain the medicine power of this particular bear.

I keep forgetting to mention that if I put an "h" after an "i" it means that the "i" is aspirated, like letting out a breath on the "i".

I'm leaving out all the pitch-marks from the Cheyenne words, simply because you can get the gist of it with the usual way I do the pronunciation guides. Plus, it would be strange to go back to writing the pitch-marks after not using them for so long.

Please let me know of any questions you have and I will certainly be glad to answer!

Please review? Props for a new chapter? :D

~Siki


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